Book 5: Detritus
by Perkele
Summary: Sequel to Book 4:Embers. The Fire Nation has been conquered by a mysterious mastermind, while Aang remains lost to the world. How will Zuko and friends deal with the new world and the consequences of their previous actions? DISCONTINUED, BLAME HARUHI
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

A/N: Well, the story continues. This is the sequel to Book 4: Embers, which was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself (it is highly recommended you check my account and go read it if you don't remember what's going on or are new). I told you the hiatus was going to be short. I love writing this story too much. In case you've forgotten what's happened, here's a short recap to hopefully jog your memory:

13 years after Sozin's Comet, Zuko set out personally to flush out what seemed like an information leak in the Fire Nation's military. Soon, it was revealed that this information was being leaked to enemies of the Fire Nation to bait them into attacking it, sending them into the wrong place to counter attack the Fire Nation's renewed invasion. Zuko was dethroned and it seemed like war was once again fast approaching with the Fire Nation intent on world domination once more. Zuko gathered his friends in an attempt to stop the new leaders of the Fire Nation before the war broke out. But it was all an elaborate ruse. The information being fed to the Fire Nation's enemies was correct, and it lead them straight to the Fire Nation's remaining forces. A coalition of the Earth Kingdom and the Northern Water Tribe attacked and killed Fire Nation soldiers in the hundreds, while Zuko and his friends were fighting the leaders, thinking they could prevent the Fire Nation from attacking the world again. But this had all been planned; the Fire Nation itself was the target, not the other nations. A mastermind in the shadows is trying to conquer the world, through the currently more powerful Earth Kingdom and its allies. Oh, and Aang went missing 10 years ago on some sort of spiritual mission into the Spirit World so he wasn't there to help out.

Wow, that's wasn't really short at all, and it was lacking a lot of details about the other characters, their development and such and such. I'm especially proud of my post-breakdown Azula, who is now struggling with her own nature, while trying to please her brother and possibly redeem herself. Of course, that doesn't mean it's been a smooth ride. There was a murder here and there, but you know what they say about omelettes... :P

This chapter contains the thoughts of a resolute princess on a quest, an emotional reunion with less than satisfying results, and a friend injured in the line of duty.

* * *

Chapter 1: New Beginnings/Old Mistakes

Azula was pacing back and forth in her little room like a caged panther, fuming. She was starting to get annoyed, very annoyed indeed. Who do they think they are, keeping me away from him? she thought bitterly. The few times they'd let her see him were brief and pointless, he hadn't even been awake. At least he wasn't thrashing around in pain anymore… But this couldn't go on any further, something needed to be done about this, all of this.

Azula sat down on a comfy, large pillow, resting her chin on her fist as she went over the details of the previous days. The Fire Nation was in shambles; its few remaining forces tossed to the winds. She recalled the fights, the screams of pain and the silence of death. She found no pleasure in them anymore, not after what her brother had said. He had been right in a sense, she could have done better. Her combatants had known something; she should have left one of them alive for questioning.

She remembered the way the old man had looked surprised when she had suggested that his master Fu Bai was a weakling… there was something more going on here. Her memories shifted to Fu Bai, but not the face she had seen last before she had burned it, but to a younger face. They had been in the same academy once. She had been one of the more clever girls there. She had hung out with her, Mai and Ty Lee occasionally. Despite all of her cleverness, she lacked a certain sense of initiative. She had always come to her, eager to hear what the princess had planned next for her unsuspecting victims, whether they were fellow students or teachers. Azula had discovered early on in her scholastic adventures that teachers had a difficult time punishing a member of the royal family.

It seemed rather out of character for Fu Bai to go through with a plan as grand as what had happened on that day, of course she could have planned it, but she lacked the guts to actually go through with it. Of course, this was assuming what had happened had been a plan and that Fu Bai hadn't changed much in almost fifteen years or something. But Azula was a good judge of character. Fu Bai lacked the gall to go through with something like this, and that old man certainly didn't think of her as his master.

This required further investigation. Azula got up and walked to a table with compartments built into it with a chair waiting for her in front of it. She pulled out several pieces of parchment, an ink well and a quill. She wrote with a steady hand, careful not to mess any of the characters. When she was done, she sealed the letters with wax from a candle (it hadn't been burning, so she melted it with a precise flare of fire). She stood up, ready to leave with her letters, when she suddenly stopped. She looked at the ink and quill for a moment, until she made up her mind. She sat back down and took another piece of parchment. Even though this letter was shorter than the earlier ones, she took a longer time to finish writing this last one, as she took extra care with the complicated signs she wrote, ancient signs used only in ancient rituals and very important documents in contemporary Fire Nation culture.

Satisfied with her work, she carefully folded it so she could write two similar characters on the other side. She looked at the name she had written. The quill approached it once again carefully, while her mind recalled watching Ty Lee writing a similar letter to one of her past boyfriends. She had also written a boy's name on the other side, but had added hearts and other cute little pictures around it. Azula came to her senses and sneered at the memories. She stopped the quill just in time. A real princess shouldn't act in such an unrefined manner, she decided as she left the name unblemished.

She opened the letter one last time, to make sure she hadn't made any mistakes before she sealed it with wax. Once again a memory of Ty Lee emerged; she had kissed the name on the letter as well. Azula took a moment to consider doing the same as her friend, but decided against it. It just seemed foolish.

She reached into her shirt and pulled out a decorated knife, which she had kept in pouch, close to her heart. She stared at it emotionlessly, fond memories of the person she associated with it passing through her mind, until quietly, she spoke to herself, "This'll do."

* * *

"You awake?" the shade asked, slowly coming into focus. Zuko recognised that voice, he always would.

"Mai?" Zuko asked uncertainly. He hadn't expected this, especially since the last things he could recall were the cold touch of a blade against his throat and the maddened cries and tears of his sister. As he slowly got up on an elbow in the bed he was lying in, he carefully touched his throat, finding it wrapped in bandages, but apparently still fully intact.

"Good, you're awake and just as observant as ever," the still slightly blurry shade of Mai said from an indeterminable distance.

The slap Zuko received on his check came as a complete surprise. He fell back into bed, blinking like mad. As much as the slap burned his skin, it had cleared up his vision with frightening efficiency. He looked at Mai, sitting next to his bed in a large, comfortable looking chair, with one leg crossed over the other while her fingers were crossed. She was trying to appear nonchalant about all of this, but the fire in her eyes revealed something different. She hadn't changed much in the seven or something years they had been apart. Only her hair had been styled differently, but still retaining that regal look to it. By the spirits, she was still as beautiful as the day they were wed.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Zuko asked her, eyes wide with shock, slightly watering from the force of the slap, while he rubbed his cheek tenderly.

"You really need to ask? Where on the list should we start? You neglecting me for years, favouring your court and sister over me or not even trying to fix it after? You didn't even chase after me…" Mai started out with a haughty voice, but it quickly softened into a quiet melancholic whisper. She looked away from him as she finished, still trying to portray that she wasn't affected by their sudden reunion.

"But you said –"

"True, but it was also your last chance to prove me wrong, that you still loved me deeply and would do something stupid and reckless… just for me, like I did for you at Boiling Rock…" Mai interrupted him, slowly turning her face to look at him once again.

"Mai, I had no –"

"It doesn't matter, all that personal stuff. It happened years ago," she said as she stood up from her chair, pushing it back. The legs of the chair squealed annoyingly as they moved along the marble floor. She frowned at the noise, but quickly resumed, "What I'm talking about are your more recent actions…"

"What?" Zuko asked, also getting up from his bed, now standing just in front of Mai. He inclined his head slightly, to examine her more closely, but she looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Because of you, the Fire Nation is shattered, broken. The Earth Kingdom and Northern Water Tribe have their own areas…" Mai said with a dark conviction, still avoiding his eyes. "I've heard the Earth Kingdom is actually brainwashing innocent civilians to conform to their policies there. And let's not forget all the remaining splinter groups of what remains of the Fire Nation that have sprung up, all feeling they can govern themselves better than they have been led… It's only a matter of time before the idiots start fighting each other and get swallowed by the Earth Kingdom's advancing forces. They want nothing more than to control and pacify our people – at any cost… And it's _all your_ _fault_."

"_Mine_? How?" Zuko asked, stupefied by his former wife's words.

Mai suddenly snapped her face up to meet his gaze, but Zuko dearly wished she hadn't. She was glaring at him, it was unbearable. He tried to look away, but the power her eyes still held over him forced him to look back. "Don't tell me you're really this ignorant. You led us, until your leadership resulted in a rebellion, which you barely contained… then you didn't even pluck out remaining sources of dissent, allowing them to hide and grow in power. After your weak leadership, they actually took over. And then? When all of the Nation's military power is gathered in one spot? You attack their leaders and distract them, making them an easy target for the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe. Because of you, hundreds of people have lost their lives pointlessly… hundreds of _our_ people."

"I-I-" Zuko stammered.

"Yeah, I thought so…" Mai said gloomily as she turned away from him and walked to a window, staring out at the bleak horizon, where distant fires and smoke created a disgusting edge to the world. She held herself tightly, shivering slightly at the cold she thought she felt, even though the climate was warm and humid this time of the year.

"I really thought you could do better than this…" Mai said solemnly, closing her eyes.

"Mai, I'm sorry… about everything. About us, the world, everything… you know that I didn't want any of this to happen," Zuko said, hoping his honesty would help him, as he took a few tentative steps towards Mai.

Mai turned around, opening a sad pair of eyes. "I know… I know exactly what you meant. You forget, I really did love you… I know you Zuko. Under that gruff exterior, all those scars from your past… lies a heart as pure and golden as your beautiful eyes. You didn't mean for any of this to happen, I know that… but Zuko, it did, and you're responsible."

"Gah! I'm sorry, damn it! Urgh, I know I messed up! And I'll fix it, I swear! Please, just give me a chance." He was starting to feel exceedingly frustrated, this wasn't what he needed right now. He knew he had messed up, but there were too many loose strings at the moment. As much as he tried to give Mai his full and undivided attention, his mind kept wondering what had happened to everybody else. But he quickly calmed down, knowing there was time for such questions later. Remembering his Uncle's teachings, he took a few deep breaths, calming himself, seeking his centre. After he had calmed down from his little outburst, Zuko walked over to Mai, who was still looking at him sorrowfully, and took her unresisting hand. "Please, just give me another chance."

Mai looked down at their hands together, like they had been in a distant and happy past, and then at his scarred yet beloved face. She examined his eyes and face with eyes as deep as the sea, but eventually turned away, not finding what she had been looking for in them.

"I'm sorry, Zuko, no," Mai said in a depressingly familiar monotone as she took a step back. She held the arm Zuko had taken, rubbing her elbow as she felt the body heat from Zuko's touch leaving her hand, leaving it cold. It seemed to reflect their past relationship with painful accuracy, she thought bitterly.

"Huh? Why?" Zuko asked, surprised by the cold shoulder he was receiving after what he thought had been a sincere and desired, heartfelt apology.

"Haven't you been listening to me at all?!" Suddenly an old anger flared back in Mai's voice. She marched over to him with a scowl that cut him as deeply as one of her knives would have. "You destroy everything you touch! Everything you hold dear! Just look at us! Your kingdom!" Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes as she unleashed hidden emotions. In that regard the pair were far too similar, they had always kept what they felt for each other, whether it was love, annoyance, pride or anger, in them until it was too late. It was perhaps one of the main reasons why their marriage hadn't fully worked. But what she said next was too much to stomach, and she regretted saying it immediately after. "I'm just glad we never had a child… hah, like that could have ever happened with you gone all the time, and even if we'd had one, how long until you messed him up… like your father did to you."

"That's not fair," Zuko said coldly. He might have been wrong about a lot of things and made grievous mistakes, but this was going too far.

"Zuko, I'm sorry… it's not really your fault… it's the way you grew up," Mai said glumly, taking a step back away from him, wiping her tear-filled eyes, trying to control herself before she said something really stupid. "As much as you try to deny it, you're still your father's child, and through you, his legacy lives on in one form or another. His blood runs through your veins. He may have been replaced as a father figure, but you can't shake away what he did to you completely."

"That… that may be true," Zuko admitted grudgingly, squeezing his fists while he turned his face away from Mai, so that his scar was hidden from her.

"And then there's what I said to you earlier… how you mess everything up for the people you care about… I know I said it harshly – old memories stirring up old pains – but it's true Zuko… I wish it weren't, but it is… oh, how I wish it weren't… I'm sorry Zuko, I have a new life here, where I have what I've always needed."

"And what you've always wanted?"

"It's close enough…" Mai answered the sharp question quietly. "I have responsibilities now as well. I'm one of the leaders of this particular city-state. I kind of feel bad about berating you for your responsibilities when you were Fire Lord." She laughed weakly, desperately trying to deflate the pressuring situation she found herself in.

Zuko said nothing, just staring at the floor, until he suddenly said in a silent voice, straining to keep it from cracking. "As long as you're happy… I gotta go now… fix things…" he said and started walking away towards a door he spotted on the far edge of the richly decorated room. For the first time since waking up, he felt tired, old bruises and aches sapping him of his last strength, not to mention the crippling emotions he felt. By the time he reached the door, he was dragging his feet while his shoulders sagged miserably.

"Yeah… Don't we all…" Mai said, more to herself than to Zuko as she watched his trailing back.

Zuko, who was just about to walk out of the room, suddenly remembered something vitally important. His lost energy quickly returned and the pain subsided for a moment, driven out by a desperate need. He turned around slowly and awkwardly asked, "Umm, where is everybody else?"

Mai smiled warmly at him, gently shaking her head.

* * *

"Zuko!" Ty Lee squealed like a giddy schoolgirl, the one she had remained as throughout most of her life, much to the delight of her many friends (although few would willingly admit it). "You're not dead!"

"Yeah, I'm not dead," Zuko answered awkwardly before Ty Lee squeezed him into the tightest huge he had ever received. "Yet at least," he wheezed.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" Ty Lee asked worriedly, she jumped back holding her hands in front her mouth. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"I'm okay," Zuko said, gingerly rubbing his sides.

A hard punch came from his left side and hit him on the shoulder, sending him hopping to the right. "Ahh, geez!"

"Come on, he's a big guy he can take it," Toph stepped out and stood in front of him with the widest smile he had ever seen on her cute, little face. "I knew you'd survive. It'll take a lot more than some poison to take you out. Well, the medicine we got you probably helped too, but whatever."

"Yeah," Zuko muttered, holding his wooden shoulder. He couldn't feel the tips of his fingers.

He looked around the room Mai had taken him to. It was like a big atrium, it even had the mandatory fountain in the middle. Couches, large pillows and thick carpets along with the other lavish decorations filled the large room with multitudes of colours. Veiled doorways led to smaller rooms with beds in them.

Zuko spotted the two waterbenders they had taken along on the mission, napping on couches on the other side of the gently trickling fountain. Hefeng was sitting in a corner, with nothing but a pair of yellow pants on, while the whole of her upper body was covered in bandages. She had apparently peen meditating, but now peeked at the gathering with a half opened eye. She slowly got up, wincing at the exertion, and slowly made her way to him. She tried to bow, but it was obvious it was causing too much pain for her, so Zuko told her it wasn't necessary, and offered to bow down extra deep in order to compensate for her lacking bow. She smiled at this and giggled slightly, accepting his offer. Zuko bowed, but stopped halfway through his own bow, gritting his own teeth as a pain shot through his back. He stood up blushing slightly while everyone gathered around him laughed.

It was good to know everyone was okay and still capable of laughing…

"Wait, where's Sokka?" Zuko asked suddenly, glancing around the room once more, looking for his friend.

The smiles and laughs quickly disappeared. Toph took his question the hardest, staring at the floor in shame while the others exchanged solemn glances.

"He isn't…?" Zuko asked, not daring to finish the question, as if that could stop the possible bad news from becoming true.

"No, he's just…" Ty lee answered, biting her lip, "Well, he's still recovering… it doesn't look good."

"Where is he?" Zuko said, desperate to see him.

Ty Lee pointed at a veiled archway. Zuko quickly staggered over furniture to see Sokka. He pushed back the veil and found his friend lying on a bed, half covered by a blanket, looking pale with bandages covering red blots on his chest and arm. His breathing was laboured and his eyes were squeezed shut tightly.

Zuko stepped forward and knelt down next to him, feeling his forehead. It felt clammy and cold. He turned a questioning glance towards the gathered people at the archway. Mai came forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The doctors did everything they could, but the poison that was in the arrow tips, it was different from yours. We have no idea what it is. His wounds won't close properly and his condition is getting worse by the day. Your waterbender friends have tried to heal him, but apparently neither one of them is skilled enough to help him. We're doing all we can to keep him stable, but we can't cure him… I'm sorry Zuko."

Zuko remained silent for a moment, thinking it over, while regrets concerning his recent actions resurfaced once again.

"Can he be moved?" Zuko asked solemnly.

"What?" Mai said, crouching down so she could hear his quiet words.

"Can he be moved?!" Zuko shouted suddenly, startling everyone gathered around the small room.

"Y-yes," Mai answered, taking a few steps back at the sudden outburst.

"Then give us your fastest air balloon," he said determinedly, getting up with a fiery resolve in his eyes. "No one else is going to die on my watch, ever again."

He stormed past the women gathered around the archway. He stopped in the middle of the room, seeking the calm he desperately needed. While he squeezed his fists, he tried to breathe in deeply, but he couldn't seem to fully attain his previous calm.

When he was eventually satisfied enough with his anger, he turned around grimly. "Sorry Mai, but this is important. We have to save him."

"Of course. I'll have the fastest balloon prepared within the hour," Mai said, as she started walking past him. He, however, grabbed her hand as she was passing him by. She looked at him quizzically. He looked almost possessed.

"Where's Azula?" he asked, a dark look appearing in his golden eyes.

Mai gulped nervously. The brief contact she had had with her old friend hadn't gone well, there was a burned down room to testify as much. And as if that hadn't been enough, she had learned of the murders she had committed from the others, only making her more nervous about her. "She's down that hall, to the left, at the end of it," she answered, pointing towards the door from which she and Zuko had entered from.

"Thanks," Zuko said with a voice full of foreboding before he stormed out of the room.

Mai stood staring at the door for a moment, as both Toph and Ty Lee ran after Zuko. But she didn't stay for long. She quickly marched out, wanting to personally make sure that everything was ready for a speedy departure for Zuko.

As Zuko, Toph and Ty Lee approached Azula's door, they found a note stuck to it. Holding the note in place was a familiar looking knife. Scrawled on the note in clear, carefully written characters was "Zuzu". Zuko looked bleakly at the knife, before he pulled it out of the wooden door and placing it in his pocket, quietly muttering, "How does she keep getting it?" He grabbed the note, opened it quickly, breaking the wax that held it closed, ripping the letter slightly. His eyes skimmed across it feverishly. His brow furrowed as he reread the blasted piece of parchment.

"What is it?" Ty Lee asked eagerly, standing on her toes behind Zuko, trying to read the letter from over his broad shoulders.

"Azula's gone," Zuko said in a depressing monotone. He held the letter up, intently watching the light filter through it, before it burst into flames around his thumb and forefinger, which had been holding it up to the light. Burned, dark pieces fell to the ground like autumn leaves, still glowing around the edges.

Toph and Ty Lee gave each other a shocked look before they both said together, "Uh-oh."


	2. Chapter 2: The Unrelenting Past

Chapter 2: The Unrelenting Past

_(In which the awkwardness continues, Toph is curious about a mother, and Zuko has a lot to digest, while there is a wanton attack on the dialogue by rogue ellipses.)_

After retrieving what little equipment he had brought with him, consisting entirely of his two swords, Zuko strode briskly towards the entrance of the giant mansion. The weight of the swords on his back was surprisingly unnerving. For almost as long as he could remember, the cold, hard, sharp steel of a blade had been one of the things he had felt most comfortable about in the world. But now, the weight on his back made his throat itch. Zuko carefully felt the bandages around his throat, and he thought he could feel a slight indentation where none had been before. A cold shiver ran down his body as his fingers skimmed over the bandages.

As Zuko stepped out into the blazing noon sun, his eyes adjusting to the brightness after shadow-clad hallways, he came face to face with an impressive looking machine of war. Like a long, mighty tiger barracuda with added gratuitous spikes, the war balloon bobbed up and down, as if struggling against the ropes holding it down. Calling it a balloon felt like blasphemy. It looked far too deadly to be considered a balloon.

Zuko ran his hand through his hair, wondering why the Fire Nation had such a demented need to make everything it possessed so threatening in appearance. Hardly a flagship of peace, he mused to himself as he strode toward the gangplank set up against it.

As he boarded the vessel, he came face to face with Mai once again. They looked at each other awkwardly before both turned away to busy themselves with whatever business they could find for themselves. Mai hurried towards the aft of the vessel where she took to ordering a soldier around, while Zuko shuffled towards the bow, where some of his friends were gathered. He took one last look at Mai, wondering if there was something more he should say or do. Instead he remembered her words; how he was responsible. He knew he was, but somehow it felt so much more unsettling to hear it from Mai. She had always struck a chord deep inside him, deeper than most.

This whole situation felt so surreal. There was so much to do, so much to repair. Seeing her again just made it even harder.

Lost deep within his own thoughts, Zuko managed to bump into Toph, who was hunched over, inspecting something.

"Hey!"

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there."

"Funny how I never have a problem with it," Toph said with a smirk.

The corners of Zuko's mouth began to rise slightly, before he noticed what Toph had been inspecting. Sokka was lying in a hastily constructed… bed, it had to be a bed, he was lying in it after all. His pale and clammy face poked out of a thick bundle of furs under which he had been buried. Ty Lee was on the other side of the… bed, making sure he was tucked in properly.

"The doctors say he needs the fresh air, but since he's so cold already, we have to make sure he stays bundled up," Toph answered Zuko's questioning silence, feeling that an explanation was needed.

"Oh… I see," Zuko said glumly, giving Sokka's sickly face another look. If it was possible, the poor man looked even worse than before; despite the fresh air he was receiving. His pale skin was starting to colour oddly, tints of purple and a greenish hue were present, while dark lines, most likely his veins, crisscrossed over his face. Whatever the poison was, it certainly was doing a good job at what it had been designed to do.

"We're taking him to Katara, right?" Toph asked, breaking through Zuko's stupor.

"Yeah… Katara," Zuko replied, remembering how they had parted. As if he wasn't feeling guilty enough already about throwing his country into chaos, playing right into the hands of some mysterious villain, and endangering his closest friends, he had also lied to Katara and went behind her back. She had insisted on a more peaceful solution, and it looked like she might have been right. Then again, what would the alternative have been?

…He had no idea. It all just felt so unreal; he hadn't had enough time to process it all. The Fire Nation was torn apart, Azula was gone who knows where to do who knows what, and Sokka might be dying. No matter how he looked at it, Zuko felt that it was all his fault. Everyone had trusted him to take charge, to make things right and all he had managed to do was fail yet again. His father's voice wafted through his mind, belittling him from the distant past. He locked it away, much like had done with the man himself.

Zuko walked away from his three friends and sat on the other side of the vessel, looking at the two women fuss over their Sokka. If he'd been awake, Sokka would have been revelling in the service he was receiving, Zuko thought bitterly. He would be okay if I hadn't pushed him along. He had his doubts, he wanted to give Katara a chance, but I convinced him we were doing the right thing.

Zuko allowed his head to droop, as he inspected the floor. He'd give anything to distract himself from his own personal hell.

After an indefinable amount of time, Zuko felt someone sitting down next to him. He raised his head and saw Mai sitting next to him, to his surprise. She was looking at the sky while she held her legs together tightly. Her hair blew elegantly in the wind.

"Hey," Zuko said uncertainly.

"Hey," Mai said, just as tentatively.

The pair remained silent for a long time, until:

"I like what you've done with your hair," Zuko said, unable to come up with anything more engaging for conversation than cosmetic appearances. At least he wasn't talking about the weather.

"Thanks, I like what you've done with your… neck," Mai replied, not daring to remove her gaze from the distant sky.

Zuko wasn't sure if he should laugh or not. Was that a joke? Or maybe she was just teasing with him like she used to in the good old days. Unable to decide fast enough, with the pressure for a reply building, he managed a weird cross between a cough and a chortle.

The pair remained silent for another painfully long moment.

"So, you're a leader in this… city-state was it?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," Mai answered curtly, still staring upwards.

"Nice… I guess." Zuko scratched the back of his head, seeking to stimulate his brain in some manner.

"It's not bad," Mai concurred.

A familiar silence descended upon the pair once more. They had no idea that others were picking up their conversation (or lack thereof). Toph and Ty Lee were sitting behind the bundled mountain that was Sokka. When they had noticed Mai sitting next to Zuko, they had decided to give them some privacy, but their curiosity had gotten the better of them.

Occasionally Ty Lee would quickly peek around Sokka's bed, to check if the pair had left, seeing as no conversation was being had. However, any shame they might have felt quickly disappeared after listening to the long, uncomfortable pauses. A far deeper reaching feeling, of the collective embarrassment of everyone on the front deck, soon prevailed.

"Uh, this is just painfully awkward to watch," Ty Lee whispered in Toph's ear.

"You should see it from my angle. Yikes," Toph whispered back.

At this time, Mai finally gave up on searching the clear skies, and gave Zuko a quick inspection out of the corner of her eye. "Zuko… about the things I said yesterday, I-" Mai started to break the silence, but was interrupted by Zuko.

"You don't need to explain, apologize or anything. You weren't at fault… I am and I swear I'm going to do something about it." Zuko raised his hand and squeezed it into a tight fist, wishing to make his promise clear to her.

Mai looked at him blankly, with mild surprise, before she turned to look up at the sky once again. "…Good, I guess…"

"…"

"…"

"So… I guess you certainly had a lot of time to think about what you were going to say to me."

"Heh, yeah, I guess. Even so…"

"Yeah…"

"…" Zuko turned to look at her.

"…?" Mai asked silently with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along?"

"…Yes, Zuko, I have responsibilities too now… So I guess this is goodbye, the one we never got a chance to say properly before," Mai said solemnly before she leaned over, held his chin in a gentle caressing way and kissed Zuko gently on the cheek.

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise as he turned his head around to face her, but Mai was already getting up, ready to leave. Before Zuko had a chance to say a word, she had strode over to the ramp and waved at the soldiers making the final checks on the vessel. They quickly made their way off the ship. Mai stood aside, waiting for all of them to disembark.

She turned around and looked intently at Zuko and said, "Take care, Zuko, and maybe we'll meet again someday and have another annoyingly awkward reunion." She waved farewell to him and walked off the ship.

As Zuko stood up, the air ship lurched. He grabbed the railing to steady himself as the ship began its swift ascent. It was almost as fast as Appa.

Mai and her soldiers quickly became specks, which in turn disappeared inside the palace-like mansion, which became a blot on an island, which eventually became a blob of greens and browns. Zuko continued staring at the island, until it too became a mere speck on the horizon and eventually disappeared over the horizon. He wished he could see this final moment as something more beautiful and poetic than it was, but all he could see was a bland blot of earth against almost equally boring blue skies and sea. He noticed both Ty Lee and Toph scurrying away towards the main hold of the air ship from the corner of his eye. Had they…? Never mind…

I need some time to think, he thought to himself as he finally tore his eyes away from the horizon. And some tea. I have a lot to think about… the Fire Nation, the Mysterious Mastermind, Azula, Sokka, Mai… damn near everything…

Zuko sighed deeply. I'm going to need a _lot_ of tea.

* * *

Zuko sat quietly on the deck of the airship, slowly sipping warm tea. Toph walked up to him silently across the wide deck and flopped down next to him, feet spread in a big V-shape. Zuko gave her a good look over. His gaze started at her pretty face, partly covered by her dark bangs, slowly progressing downwards (with significant pauses here and there), until he reached the bottoms of her feet. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, before he sipped some more tea.

"Man, you have some dirty feet, odd how I never noticed before," he observed casually.

"…Uh, yeah…" Toph said uncertainly, turning a perplexed frown towards Zuko. "And since we seem to be pointing out the obvious today, you have a really big scar on your face."

Zuko took a big sip of his tea. "Yeah…" He stared into the murky depths of his cup, searching for something he felt he had lost, but not finding anything, not even his own reflection, but a green-brown swirling mixture of tea, so he turned his eyes to the floor, tracing the little path-like lines across the deck, wanting to see where they led.

"What's got you so down?" Toph asked, leaning back on her arms.

"…" Zuko looked up blankly at the horizon. He didn't feel like discussing anything at the moment. He just wanted to drift along with the flow, until a solution would present itself to him.

"You're right, it's so obvious it doesn't need to be said… Sooo, about this ice between us that needs to be broken, got any ideas?"

"…"

"I don't have any of that special tea on me at the moment, but it doesn't mean we can't… I dunno, grope each other inappropriately again, heh… C'mon that was funny, right? Right?" Toph gave Zuko a few jabs in his side with an elbow, while her eyebrows jumped up and down like a pair of wild gazelle chimps.

Zuko once again looked contemplatively at his tea.

"Okay, this is just starting to get annoyingly pathetic and depressing. Look Zuko, I know this must be especially hard on you, what with losing your country, causing it to fall apart, meeting your ex suddenly and Azula disappearing and… oh boy, this is not going well." Toph admitted, starting to feel slightly depressed herself at merely listing all of Zuko's problems.

"Yeah, tell me about it…"

Toph scratched her head, visibly straining to come up with a change of subject. "You know… we never did find out what happened between you and your mama… you found her, right?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh… um, ok. It's just that, you know, seeing as it was you reuniting with your lost mom after all those years…" Toph scratched her head hesitantly. Had she struck a nerve?

"Not much to say really. I don't understand why people have these weird, grand delusions about everything I do. I met my mom, we had some tea, we talked, I went back to ruling the Fire Nation, that's it," Zuko said in a surprisingly conversational tone.

"…Ri~ight." Toph decided to continue her advantage, obviously she was starting to get through to the doofus. She knew the guys she liked to hang around with were the more silent and strong type, but the problem with that was that they liked to bottle things up a bit too much. "You expect me to believe that? No huge revelation, no dark secrets revealed, no new motivational direction, nothing? Oh c'mon, nobody's going to believe that."

Zuko sipped some more of his tea. "What can I say? My mom is a pretty normal person; she's living a nice quiet life, just like she wants to."

"But what about why she left?! There must have been something huge! Something that would shake the foundations of the entire world? Something dramatic and intense! C'mon what was it?! It was huge wasn't it? You can tell me! How cool was it?"

Zuko gulped down the last of his tea and then scratched his scar unceremoniously while his lips curled slightly upwards at the edges. With an uncommonly playful look in his eyes, he said, with great emphasis on the single syllable, "Meh."

"OH, COME ON!!" Toph deflated from sheer frustration.

"None of your business anyway…" Zuko said, licking his teeth. There was something odd about that tea. There was now a lot more solid stuff between his teeth than when he'd started drinking it.

"Humph," Toph huffed indignantly as she glared at him silently, with cute, pouting lips. Zuko turned his head around to look at her. He looked at her blind eyes intently.

"Hey, thanks for, you know, cheering me up a bit…" Zuko said awkwardly, giving the surrounding area a good look around. "Toph, there's something I'd like to –"

But whatever it was that Zuko had intended to tell Toph was cut short as a pained grunt was uttered from a massive heap nearby.

"Hold that thought," Toph said as she walked over to Sokka with a worried look on her face. She carefully peeled back a few layers of protective fur, checking that none of his stitches had opened and his temperature by gently placing her hand on his forehead. She took a long, silent moment to look at him while Zuko inspected the pair from his spot next to his tea pot on the deck. As Toph carefully bundled Sokka under a thick blanket and returned to Zuko, he quickly looked away at the horizon.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" Toph asked, as she once again flopped down into her relaxed position on the deck next to Zuko, turning to face him expectantly, eager to hear what was bound to be important.

"Never mind, it's not important anymore…"

"Oh, okay," Toph said, sensing that the ice she had worked so hard to break had reformed around them again. Zuko's defences were up again, unrelenting toward any further attempts she might have made that day. No more weakness could be shown, no more soft, squishy, sappy emotions. She could understand that kind of behaviour, seeing as she subscribed often to it as well. But knowing the kind of problems Zuko was facing, she knew it couldn't be good to bottle it up like that. There were times when you needed a good talk with an even better friend. She didn't quite understand why she was willing to let Zuko remain silent, knowing all of this.

She sighed deeply. Boys will be boys… and I guess I'm no different either, really.

The pair sat silently, gazing at the horizon for awhile longer, until eventually, Toph got up and left Zuko alone with his now empty teapot.

* * *

"We're here!" Ty Lee shouted from the brow of the ship, jumping up and down excitedly.

Zuko and Hefeng walked forward to see, while Toph remained next to the heavily bundled Sokka. The three people at the brow of the ship watched as the glistening spires of the Southern Water Tribe's capital slowly crept closer.

"Hmmm, I trust you will be able to take care of Brother Sokka without my aide," Hefeng said with a voice that made her sound rather preoccupied.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"I've been away from the temple for too long as it is. I need to check and see if everyone is alright and report to my brother and Sister, and no doubt the Order of the White Lotus will want a personal recount from me, even though they are probably aware of what has already happened."

"I see… Well, you're free to do as you want, but there are few things I'd like to ask you before you leave, if it's alright with you."

"Certainly, Honoured Brother."

"We didn't really get a proper chance to discuss it earlier because of the… the mission, but I'd like to know if – if you have any more information about Aang that we might have missed."

Hefeng looked sadly at Zuko before she answered. "I'm sorry, we know nothing more than you do. Katara was the last one to see him, all he told us was that he needed to go and settle something related to the Spirit World. For a few years, one of us would be excused from teaching the younglings to search for him, but to no avail. Eventually, we gave up… We fear the worst might have happened to him…"

"Yeah… same here. It's been – what? – 10 years? Aang definitely wouldn't willingly stay away for that long, and it's hard to imagine anything that could threaten a fully realized Avatar. Even if there was something like that, wouldn't he have come to us for help?"

"I'm afraid I do not know," Hefeng answered despondently. "All we can do is hope, I guess."

"Yeah, but… what if the worst has happened? It's been ten years already. Maybe there's a new… Never mind. You make sure everyone's safe on your end. I have a feeling things might get worse before they get any better."

"You are probably right, Brother. I only wish I had been of more use in stopping the ensuing battle between the great nations."

"Not your fault, Hefeng. There are far more guilty parties here than you," Zuko said miserably, staring down at the heaving waves below the airship.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, for now at least," Hefeng said, tapping the end of her staff against the deck, red wings spreading out for the impending flight.

"Yeah," Zuko muttered, before he offered his hand to shake hands. Hefeng stared at his hand for a moment, before she realized, blushingly, that handshakes were a more common and casual show of mutual respect than bowing. She took his hand and shook it eagerly.

"It has been an honour just knowing you, Oh Great Brother," she said, smiling broadly.

"Hey! Don't leave without me giving you a proper farewell as well!" Ty Lee said as she jumped between the pair and gave Hefeng a big hug.

"Ouuuchy…" Hefeng tried to complain as politely as possible as her tender ribs were mercilessly hugged by Ty Lee.

"Damn, not again, sorry. Why does this keep happening?" Ty Lee asked, genuinely perplexed, as she jumped back.

It took all the willpower Zuko possessed to not roll his eyes, too much that is.

"Well, goodbye, I guess. You know where I am, so send word if you need our Brotherhood's help," Hefeng said, rubbing her sides gingerly.

Then she took a proper hold of her glider and jumped off from the airship. Her small frame plummeted like a rock. Both Zuko and Ty Lee rushed forward worriedly and looked down. Hefeng however quickly summoned the necessary winds to her aide and began rising, gently revolving around the airship while she slowly gathered altitude.

"Farewell," came the wind-muffled goodbye as the glider headed off, away from the airship.

Zuko stared at the continuously shrinking, winged figure until it disappeared from sight. He felt he had grown too static, watching others move onwards, while he remained behind, watching the progress of others. Much like the vast horizons he had been staring at lately, a proper sense of direction was lacking. There was no path to follow. And knowing where his last path had taken him, he felt wary about looking for another one to follow. What if he once again chose –

"Hey, Zuko! Snap out of it! We're just about to land. Get the ropes ready," Ty Lee nudged him quickly before she hopped away in order to do her part in the landing.

Zuko looked around bleakly before he got to work. It was only a matter of minutes until the airship was above a familiar looking, icy platform, with blue-clad soldiers running about on it. Zuko and Ty Lee tossed ropes down to the men on the platform, who pulled the airship down with surprising efficiency.

"Careful, now," Toph instructed, with a scowl of concentration on her face as she and Zuko lifted the bundled up Sokka on his little, clumsily constructed contraption he had been resting on. A pair of short, pained grunts escaped his pale, cracked lips. Toph bit her lip, "Careful."

Slowly, the pair edged their way with Sokka between them onto the gangplank, laid ready by Ty Lee. Like an odd looking crab, they slowly disembarked.

"Okay now, you go left. Yeah, like that, but lift him up on your end. No! Not like that, support him! Damn it, now his hand his hanging loose, isn't it? The weights shifted, I can tell. Someone put the idiot's hand back where – no, not like that! Stop, you'll make us topple!" Toph continued her instruction's like a maddened commander after an unattainable creature of the sea, unsatisfied with any results as Zuko did the best he could and the nervous Ty Lee skittered about back and forth around them, trying desperately to help without getting in the way. "Go, go, go! No, not that fast! Now we're going too slowly. Gah, what is wrong with you people? I'm blind and I can see what's going on here better than any of you!"

"What did you guys _do_?" spoke a chilling voice of subzero proportions that stopped every single person dead in their tracks on the platform.

Like little misbehaving children, Zuko, Toph and Ty Lee slowly and grudgingly turned to face Katara, who had the most horrible glare in her eyes.

"Uhm, hi there, Katara. We, uh, have a teensy-weensy, itsy-bitsy, tiny problem here we were hoping you could help us with," Ty Lee said fearfully, her face swiftly losing its rosy composure in the coldness of Katara's glare. She hesitantly pulled back some of the bundles so that Sokka's face was fully visible for Katara.

It was amazing how instantaneously the temperature in the snowy lands of the South Pole seemed to lower to a deadly degree as the look in Katara's eyes became even more dreadful.

"Uh-oh," the three returning 'heroes' said quietly, all hoping they had come up with better last words.

* * *

A/N: Whew, been busy, busy, busy. Sorry for the very long wait between updates. January turned out to be the most hectic month I've experienced in a long time. If I had known that, I might have pushed back the story's release a bit, so there wouldn't have been such a jarring halt in between chapters. Well, c'est la vie or something. It's time to get outta the funk and get into my writing pants, so to speak. (Actually no one speaks like that. Forget it.)

Thank you very much for the proper critique, OmniSchreiber. Always good to hear some proper pros and cons so I can see what works and what doesn't. I think I understand why the Zuko/Mai scene might have seemed slightly forced. I felt it was necessary for her to function more as a plot device and expositional tool than a real character (sincere apologies, Mai fans). Too much probably was dumped into the scene now that I think about it, unfortunately this felt like the thing to do to ensure a proper pacing. I'll be sure not to mistreat characters merely to further the plot anymore. :P

EDIT: Silly spelling mistakes fixed. You are turning out to be an invaluable resource, Omni. I now know what bop means as well. W00T!


	3. Chapter 3: The Uncertain Future

Chapter 3: The Uncertain Future

The hallway was dark. The distant sparkle of stars in the skies was not enough to fill the ice-walled hallways with light. Lanterns had been set at even paces throughout the hallways, the flickering of flames the only source of light in the cavernous halls of the palace. If one listened very carefully, they could hear the far off howl of the wind against the spiralling towers of the palace of ice.

Waiting opposite of a door stood Zuko, leaning against an icy wall. His arms were crossed, while his head remained lowered, eyes focused on the smooth floor, occasionally rising to give the door a quick look.

Waiting did not come easily to Zuko, it never had. Despite his Uncle's best attempts and a need for it in his later days as Fire Lord, he had never properly mastered the virtue of patience. Standing around like this just felt wrong. Something had to be done, but what? What? His last course of action had ended up in utter failure, with his best friend now hanging onto life by pure will power, as he had been led to believe. The poison apparently attacked important systems within the body, whatever they were.

Fixing bodies had never been his concern. He had been raised to break them, and he had been good at it, terrifyingly good. Looking back on his past days, Zuko wondered if the torment of healing had been just as abhorring for all those he had hurt in the past as it was now for him and his friends.

Once again, Zuko gave his throat an inspection. He had been allowed to remove the bandages by now. Carefully, he once again ran his fingers over a brand new scar on his body, as he had several times during the previous days. It was still there, as sinister as ever.

His fingers halted near the edge of his new scar. He could feel the faint pulse of his heart. An artery must have been close by… He hadn't even realized how close he had come to losing his life. Just a flick of a wrist, the slightest pull on the blade against his throat and his existence would have been over.

Zuko sighed as he removed his hand from his throat, shifting uneasily against the wall he was resting against. He sidled along the wall slightly, since it felt like the ice was starting to melt against his back. Who came up with this silly idea of ice castles anyway? Zuko grasped at the loose thought like a lifeline, a distraction from his worries. Sure, they're pretty and all, but keeping them in shape all the time must be really bothersome. How can these people live like this? Surely Katara and Sokka…

Zuko's cascading thoughts came to a grinding halt, the familiar dread returning. He held up the hand he had used to trace the course of the blade on his skin, examining it. Focusing his mind, forcing out all unnecessary conscious thoughts, he willed his mind to examine and manipulate the energy coursing through his own body. Small white wisps rose from his hands. The wisps began to have yellow tints to them around the edges, until the yellow spread like wildfire. Tiny flecks of orange danced through the now dancing yellow wisps. Soon, the flecks of orange grew bigger, consuming the yellow, until only tiny specks of the light colour remained amidst the orange twirling shades. Then came the red, it quickly engulfed the orange and yellow, crackling with energy and air, the gentle twirling flames a small vortex of burning fury now.

Zuko continued focusing on his fire, as if the heat and light it emanated could push back the spectres that haunted his mind, and reveal to him what was required of him. As he stared intently at the vortex, a new colour he hadn't seen before in his own fire began to emerge. In the corner of his eye, near the rims of the ravenous red flames, a light blue tint made an appearance. It was only a flicker, gone before the eye could fully catch it, but he was certain it had been there. He focused on the fire again, feeding it more energy, taking a deep breath, allowing the natural forces of the surrounding world and the energy within his own body to mix, creating a purer fire.

Just then, the door opposite him opened.

Zuko quickly closed his fist, snuffing out the gently roaring flames. White wisps escaped from between his closed fingers, disappearing before they had even really begun their journey upwards.

"What have you been doing out here?" Katara asked with a slight scowl on her face that hadn't properly left her face ever since Zuko and everyone else had returned. The only time when it did disappear was when she looked at Sokka. A far more hurtful and pained look in her eyes would appear, but quickly disappear when she would turn to look at anyone else.

Katara looked up at the ceiling disapprovingly. Zuko followed her gaze and noticed there was a hole in the icy ceiling. The insides of it glimmered with an uncharacteristic wet gleam to them. A few drops of water dropped from the sides of it, splattering against the smooth surface of the floor. Both Katara and Zuko had followed the first drop's descent and were now staring at the same wet spot on the floor.

"Shoddy workmanship?" Zuko said sheepishly, risking the slightest smirk and shrug of his shoulders as he turned his head upwards to look at Katara.

Katara raised her face as well, but the familiar scowl was still there. Silently, while still glaring at Zuko, she waved her hand above her head. The hole above them melted away, reformed as water and froze to fill the hole so quickly that if you hadn't blinked, you would still have missed the swift transition from solid to liquid and back again.

"What are you doing here?" Katara's cold voice echoed through the icy hallway.

"I wanted to check up on Sokka," Zuko explained, diverting his eyes away from Katara's.

"…I think I've gotten most of the poison out of his system, but there's been a lot of damage to the nervous system… He'll live, if that's what you're asking," Katara answered, with an annoyed tone in her voice as she continued glaring at Zuko. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do before I can even start dreaming about sleep."

Katara started striding away so quickly that Zuko barely had time to catch her. He placed a hand on her turned shoulder, holding her in place. Katara stopped, but remained facing away from Zuko.

"Wait," Zuko said firmly, although the slight edge of desperation was audible in his voice as well.

"He'll be okay, I already told you that. Now let me go." Katara's hands slowly clenched into fists as she spoke in a tone as harsh as the winds outside.

Zuko obliged, but was unwilling to give up so easily. "Wait, I wanted to talk – "

"About what?" Katara snapped irritably.

"Well, everything really. About Sokka, how we went and –"

"Almost got him killed? Went behind my back, doing exactly the thing I had said we wouldn't do, because we're supposed to better? Something like that?" Katara continued her verbal barrage, still facing away from Zuko, the scowl on her face increasing with irritation.

"…Yeah, exactly that," Zuko admitted, giving the scar over his eye a quick scratch.

"There's nothing really to discuss. You acted stupidly, brashly, only worsening the situation as I had said. We live in a better age than the one of your father, Zuko, and we're supposed to be the leaders, leading by example. There's nothing worth following in your actions. Now goodbye, I have to prepare for a response to the other nations, hoping to resolve this idiotic mess that's started before it escalates even further and more innocent people are hurt."

"Katara, you know that wasn't my intention. It would have happened anyway, we were being manipulated, all of us."

"We didn't have to be. We could have done better, tried the more peaceful alternative. I doubt the manipulators would have expected that. Instead, my brother nearly died!" Katara's voice suddenly rose to a shout as she finally spun around to face Zuko. Her brows were furrowed, eyes glistening with anger.

"You said he was okay," Zuko said, taking a small step backwards in shock.

"I said he'd live…" Katara said in a quiet voice. "Now let me go before I throw you out. I have had enough of you and your methods for peace for one day. I don't want to see you for a while, a long while. So just stay out of my way so you can't cause any more harm… especially to the people I love most in this world." Katara spun on her heels and stormed down the hallway. Quiet grumbling echoed in the hallways long after she had disappeared behind a corner.

Zuko remained silent, listening to the echoes disappear, feeling more downcast now than before his conversation with Katara; if you could even call it that. When he turned around in order to go and see Sokka, he saw Toph standing silently in front of the door to Sokka's room.

"Sorry, I heard everything, you know, super hearing an' all. I came by to check up on Sokka and the two of you seemed to be having a tense moment so I hung back, not wanting to interrupt. She's just venting, you know."

"Oh," Zuko replied miserably.

"It's not all your fault, we all thought it was the right thing to do, even Sokka. All that really matters is what we do next," Toph said reassuringly.

"Yeah… but there's the problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I have no idea what I should do now. I've done so much harm, wanting to do good… I'm uncertain about everything."

"Yeah, I guess I can understand that," Toph said, scratching the back of her head tentatively. "Look, I'm sorry about this, but I'd really like to check up on Sokka. He took those arrows for me and now he's… well I didn't like the way Katara said he'd live."

"Yeah, go right ahead…"

As Toph turned towards the door, Zuko said softly, "Don't feel too bad about Sokka, you're not responsible. We were there because of me in the first place."

Toph turned back to face Zuko and argue his point, but the man was already halfway down the hall, striding swiftly away. Toph listened to the fading footsteps, wondering if she should follow him, but in the end, decided otherwise and opened the door to Sokka's room, the smells of strange medicines and ointments filling the air, barely managing to cover a sickly undercurrent in the warm air that spilled out into the hall.

With great trepidation, Toph stepped forward, readying herself to face the worst.

* * *

Ty Lee was leaning against the railing on a balcony on one of the large spiralling towers of the palace, staring uncharacteristically solemnly at the dark skies above her, watching the stars dance their eternal dance above, trying to find a deeper purpose to it all, and perhaps a little bit of the energy she had lost so she could join in on the celestial dancing and clear her aura. It was starting to get depressingly droopy and off-coloured.

Zuko walked out onto the balcony, noticing the oddly melancholic woman. He studied her gentle features quietly, noting how much older and more mature she looked, and not just physically. Despite her goofiness, Ty Lee had certainly matured along with everyone else. She was someone he had come to depend upon deeply. She was always there, even if he tried to get rid of her.

Zuko couldn't help but smile, before he walked up to her and joined her in leaning against the balcony's railing.

Ty Lee looked at him, mildly surprised by his sudden appearance, before she turned her gaze back to the cold heavens. She let out a long sigh, her breath spiralling in the cold air.

"You okay, Ty?" Zuko asked, nudging her gently on her bare shoulder with his own. "You're not cold are you?"

Ty Lee was silent for a good while, which was somewhat unsettling behaviour from such an energetic and boisterous spirit as her. But eventually she replied, "No… it's not that, not that at all…"

"Then what?" Zuko asked carefully, now fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

"Us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, and how we all failed to stop this new war, how all those soldiers died because of us… how could something like that happen?"

"…Ty, it's not your fault… There are people… far more worthy of blame," Zuko replied quietly, turning his head away from her in shame.

Ty Lee turned to look at Zuko, and found a far more depressing sight than she had expected. "Zuko, you're not blaming yourself, are you?"

Zuko said nothing while he tried to find a landmark to focus his attention on in the distance. Ty Lee looked at him, trying to come up with something to say to her sombre friend, gently biting her lip while she rubbed her arm in thought. A long absent smile returned to her pretty face as she thought of something. She reached out and gently turned Zuko's head around, so they were now face to face.

"C'mon Zuko, let's turn that – that depressed – uhm, expression upside down into a… a slightly happier looking sneer, ok?" She asked, pinching his cheek gently.

"Ouch," Zuko said quietly with a small grimace.

"Well, I guess that's slightly better," Ty Lee said as she took a step backwards to inspect his face. She smiled tenderly at him. He turned away from her bright eyes, gleaming in what little light the stars provided.

Ty Lee sighed dejectedly, tendrils of her breath issuing from her mouth, twirling in the now gentle breeze. "I guess you can't joke your way out of everything…" she sighed once again before she continued quietly, "It was pretty awful, all those people dying… I've had a few nightmares about it, actually. It's odd how I was able to avoid most of the bloodshed during the last war… I guess it was because of my fighting style or something. Fighting never felt as wrong as it did after seeing all of that…"

"Yeah," Zuko admitted, before he turned around to face her, "You sure you're okay? You – no, no one – should have seen something like that. Those nightmares you mentioned –"

"Don't worry, Zuko, I'm fine. It's you who we should be more worried about."

"No, I'll manage, you don't have to –"

"No Zuko, I do. I've known you for years, I know when you need help. I saw how your marriage fell apart, and I'm sorry I didn't help out much back then. I thought you two could work things out without me getting in the middle of it. You're pushing me and everyone away, like you did with Mai, keeping all the pain and hurt inside of you, not wanting to let other people suffer what you think are your pains. It's probably what ruined your marriage, and I won't let you repeat the same mistake with anyone else you hold dear."

Zuko turned away from her again, but she wouldn't have that. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around surprisingly forcefully. She stared intently into his shocked eyes before she hugged him tightly, resting her head against his chest.

"Zuko, it's okay, please, just tell me what's wrong. Don't push me away."

Zuko's hands hung limply by his sides while he peered into the distance over Ty Lee's long, braided ponytail. He remained absolutely still, unsure of what to do.

"Remember the beach? I certainly do, I'll never forget it," Ty Lee pushed on, trying to get him to open up to her, like he had on the beach back when she, Mai, Azula and Zuko had been together for the last time, simply happy. She liked it like that; it had somehow seemed far more simple back then… all of it. She wished she could go back to it, but she knew better. You have to work with what you have, and right now, you have a friend in need, she thought to herself.

"Yeah, I remember… I'm sorry I said those bad things about you back then."

"Zuko, I don't care about that anymore, it's not important," Ty Lee said reassuringly, hugging Zuko a bit tighter.

"You said you knew me, already back then," Zuko continued his remembrance, his focus on the distant horizon growing thin as he remembered the old days, before he declined his head slightly, to look at the woman hugging him warmly in the cold night. "You were just trying to help me and I lashed out at you. Man, I was such a jerk back then. And here you are, trying to help me again."

"Zuko…" Ty Lee whispered worriedly, pulling back from Zuko. She looked into his golden eyes and saw a look in them she hadn't seen before. There was something frightening yet reassuring about it for her.

"I just want to…" Zuko started off slowly, collecting his rampant thoughts, "thank you, for everything. You've always been around to help – whether I wanted it or not – and you took such great care of Azula. It couldn't have been easy… and she wasn't even your responsibility." Zuko took a step closer to Ty Lee.

"Zuko… what are you – what's going on?" Ty Lee asked, managing to sound both perplexed and worried at the same time. Perhaps it was the late hour and the sudden lack of sleep she had been enduring through with a bright smile as was expected from her, but for some reason, she was starting to feel rather uncomfortable.

"I just want to thank you. I feel I owe you so much." Zuko took another step towards her.

"I think you need to take a moment and put your turtle ducks in a row," Ty Lee said surprisingly sternly, raising a hand to halt his advance.

Zuko blinked. "What are you talking about?" he asked with a frown, cocking his head, now mystified by the odd turn the conversation had taken.

"Zuko… I know I come off as being rather ditzy and stupid, and for the most part, I enjoy that role, but I'm not really that stupid. You've just been through a ton of bad junk, messing your aura badly; everything with the Fire Nation, Mai and Sokka. You must be feeling so – well, blah! - and I can't help but feel you're just looking for an easy distraction from it all, a quick fix of happiness… I'm the last one you came to, aren't I?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Zuko asked with a raised eyebrow, before he added defensively, "Besides… I didn't come here looking for you in the first place. Just a nice coincidence, is all." He too was starting feel uncomfortable with the situation. His taxed nerves were already at breaking point anyway.

"Doesn't matter. Listen, I have something I need to say. There's a point I want to make," Ty Lee said with uncommon determination in her voice.

"What?" Zuko asked eagerly.

"First Azula leaves you, Mai rejects you, Katara's angry with you and Toph's focusing on Sokka. I'm the last girl left in your life, aren't I? I'm the only one who hasn't left you, so to speak," Ty Lee said, holding herself tightly, only now starting to feel the cold of the night.

"And that's… _bad_ somehow?" Zuko asked, trying to make sense of Ty Lee's so-called observations.

"I can't help but feel like a consolation prize, or backup, you know? Even though you just thanked me for… and I – it's just that – I," – she struggled with her thoughts, before she continued determinedly – "I'd like to be the one to help you more Zuko, but I don't think I can right now. We're all here for the wrong reasons, trying to heal and get our auras out of the ruts they've gotten into," Ty Lee said, unburdening herself on Zuko, instead of the other way around as she had originally intended.

"I guess – but I really don't get what you're trying to say," Zuko said, still thoroughly confused by the new direction of the exchange. All he had wanted to do was thank the sweet woman, and now it seemed like he was stuck in conversation where neither one was hearing what the other was saying.

"Goodnight Zuko," Ty Lee said softly, stepping past the deposed Fire Lord, a blank expression hiding whatever she might have been feeling at the moment. "I'm sure things will all start making more sense after a few good nights of rest and healing for all of us, before we start on our next crazy adventure."

"Pleasant dreams," Zuko muttered, feeling down about the problems he had caused for all of his friends, even the light-hearted Ty Lee and especially Sokka... Things shouldn't be so hard, should they?

Ty Lee continued past Zuko, walking slowly. She didn't stop as she delivered her final words to Zuko: "You too, Zuko. Don't be a stranger, ok? My door is always open if you need help."

Zuko remained silent, far too confused, not just with Ty Lee's behaviour, but with his own place and purpose in the world. He leaned against a wall and dropped down into a squat, sliding against the icy wall. "What am I doing?" he asked himself in an exasperated voice as he held his head in frustration, his fingers running through his dark hair. He felt angry at himself once again. It was a familiar feeling, but even so, he didn't enjoy it much. Unfortunately, the red hot anger disappeared quickly, as a chilling fear crept up his spine. "What am I going to do?"

He stayed there on the balcony for several hours, thinking and agonising over his past deeds, until eventually, he reached a decision. Slowly, but with a newfound resolve, Zuko got up. He knew what he had to do now, who and what he was responsible for. And most important of all, he knew he had to do it alone. No more risks, no more danger for the people he cared about or anyone else for that matter. He had harmed all of them too much as it was. He had to be the one to do it, the one who would make sure everyone else was safe. He had to take the leap, make the sacrifice, so no one else would have to.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm… reviews please. This chapter went through a lot of rewrites, and I'm curious to see how the final product is received. Especially concerning the new developments with all the characters, seeing as the story is finally starting to move towards a more active phase.


	4. Chapter 4: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Chapter 4: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

In the quarters that had briefly served as Zuko's place of sleep for the few days he had been there, loud agitated grumbling with the occasional noise of furniture being abused could be heard. Inside, two people were searching in vain for something, anything that might mitigate their worries and abate their concerns, both knowing it was futile, but unwilling to accept it as they carried on in their search.

"Where is that idiot?" a fuming Toph asked, kicking a chair over.

"I dunno. I saw him late last night in a tower. He was feeling rather down," Ty Lee explained helpfully, looking under the bed.

"_And_?" Toph asked accusingly, her eyebrows furrowing into a meaningful glare as she turned to face Ty Lee.

"And what?" Ty Lee asked, dusting herself off as she got up.

"What did you do to him?" Toph took a step forward.

"What do you mean, 'what did I do to him?'" Ty Lee didn't back off, also taking a step forward.

"Well he's gone now, isn't he? And you were the last one who saw him!"

"I was trying to make him feel better!"

"Well maybe you should have tried harder!"

"Like how, Miss know-it-all, harder-than-nails?"

"Like knocking him out before he left!" Toph punched her own palm, for several reasons (to emphasize her point, to show how it's done, and to vent her own frustration).

"I didn't know he was leaving!" Ty Lee insisted, waving her hands around in increasing frustration.

"So much for the heart to heart talk you had!"

"Hey, we were making progress! He was opening up!"

"And what exactly _did_ he open up about, huh?"

"He – he – uh – wanted to thank me for stuff I've helped with," Ty Lee said with a slight nervous edge to her voice, "and he was still feeling kinda guilty and responsible for all of this!"

"_Oooh, wow_. None of us knew he felt like _that_ before. Yeah right, what did you say to him?"

"_Me_? What about _you_? I know you talked to him on the airship."

"So? That was ages ago!"

"Yeah, but he was really unfocused after it!"

"Just what are you insinuating?"

"Insinuating? I have no idea what you're talking about, but I think you might have done something inappropriate with him!"

Toph slapped her own forehead. "That's what I was – oh, nice try! But I won't fall for a cheap trick like that!"

"Trick?"

The two women now stood nose to nose, the eyes of one of them full of renewed energy, staring into blank eyes, which still managed to contain more than enough emotion in them to compete with the more lively ones.

"There's no way what I said could have started all of this, it must have been you! You did something funny, not hahaa-funny but sneaky-funny!" Toph said, her eyes becoming mere slits as a result of her glare.

"Yeah, well…" Ty Lee said, her fists clenching tight painfully, "You're not very funny at all, in any way!"

"Oh _shut_ up!"

"No, _you_ shut up!"

"What's going on in here?" Katara asked, peeping from behind the door to the room.

The two women who were now clutching each other's clothes, ready to tussle, looked at her in surprise, turned to each other, apparently came a silent conclusion and turned to look at Katara accusingly.

"What did you do to him?!" The pair asked in unison, both releasing each other and then pointing an accusing finger at Katara.

"Who?" Katara asked, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind her.

"Zuko!!" the two women chorused again.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's gone!!"

"What?"

"Gone!!"

"Really?"

"YES!!"

"Surely he wouldn't have…"

"What did you do to him?!"

"Could you two please stop shouting as one? It's bad enough when all the kids do it."

"What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing!"

The three women stood silently, all of them standing apart from each other. Even the united front of both Ty Lee and Toph had crumbled, as they had finally accepted pointlessness of bickering amongst themselves. Nothing was left in the room to help them drive off the guilt each one of them was feeling, for potentially having driven one of their friends away.

After having found out Zuko had disappeared, Katara kept replaying her last conversation with Zuko through her mind, blaming herself for speaking so harshly to him. Toph was also replaying her last moments with Zuko, but she was berating herself for her lack of words to the man. And as no real surprise, even Ty Lee reminisced over her final moments with him, she on the other hand wasn't sure if she had told him too much, or not enough.

All three stood silently, sneaking awkward glances at the others (well, except Toph, who was rocking back and forth on her heels in order to achieve a similar effect). It was only when Katara finally spoke out, remembering why she had come there in the first place that everyone relaxed, slightly.

"Umm, Sokka… he's conscious, and eager to see everyone, so…" Katara mumbled.

"Huh?" both Ty Lee and Toph muttered back, as they raised their heads in surprise.

"Sokka, up, wants to see you," Katara said, rubbing her arm uncertainly.

"Why didn't you say anything before?!" The two asked in perfect irritated synchronization.

"Seriously, stop doing that, it's starting to freak me out."

***

"Hey, what took you so long?" Sokka asked as he got up from his bed. It wasn't an easy process, like one of the elders, he strained with all of his might just to ensure balance on the stable surface of the floor. The cane helped, at least.

He heard Toph and Ty Lee give a collective gasp.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, nothing I can't get over," Sokka tried to say in a reassuring voice as he winced at the exertion of standing. The tightly wrapped bandages around his left leg itched so much, but he'd been told not to scratch if he wanted to walk properly again.

Sokka turned his eyes up to inspect the two women. Ty Lee had her hands in front of her mouth in an expression of shock as her pretty eyes seemed to glisten with tears held back in check.

Toph, on the other hand, kept her head down, her long bangs managing to completely conceal her face. Even so, Sokka could tell she was reacting just as badly as Ty Lee was to his condition. Her fists were held so tightly that they were actually shaking with tension.

"C'mon, it's not so ba-" Sokka meant to say, but was interrupted as Ty Lee rushed forward to embrace him. He dropped his cane as he brought his hands up to guard himself from what was bound to be yet another characteristically painful hug from her (especially painful considering his condition), but the hug never came.

"Huh?" Sokka asked, mystified.

Ty Lee had stopped in midstride as the cane had fallen over, she stared at it intently, before she quickly bent over, picked it up and handed it over to Sokka. "Better not give you a hug, eh? Haven't really been having a good track record with them lately anyway," she joked nervously, rubbing her hands together shyly.

"Nah, it's okay," Sokka said with a gentle smile, "just be careful, okay?"

"Okay," Ty Lee whispered as she cautiously draped her arms around his broad shoulders, careful not to squeeze him in even the slightest way, no matter how much her body told her to do otherwise.

"What about you, Toph? Plenty of me to go around," Sokka asked her, grinning, as Ty Lee let go and backed off hesitantly.

Toph stood still, keeping her head down as she mumbled something inaudible. Her fists opened, her fingers flexing briefly, before they returned into tight fists.

"What was that?" Sokka asked, trying to wobble up to her, but deciding against it as a pain shot through his left leg. Instead he fell back on his bed.

"Nothing…" Toph muttered, "glad to see your okay…"

"Yeah, you too," Sokka replied uneasily.

The three friends remained silent until Katara showed up, all giving her an awkward 'hello'. She gave them all a funny look. Things were starting to get a bit too solemn around here.

"Okay guys, ne need to shape up. People are depending on us. I've been preparing a diplomatic trip to the leaders of the Northern Tribe and the Earth Kingdom for a while now, and I'd like it if you'd all join me," Katara said, continuing her inspection of the three. "Look, just because Zuko's gone, doesn't mean –"

"Zuko's gone?" Sokka asked, reading too much into the statement.

"Uh, yeah, he left us… for some reason. I thought the others already told you," Katara asked, giving the two other women a quick glance.

"No. Just what –"

"We don't know, Sokka. He left, that's all we know, I swear," Katara interrupted Sokka, "But we have more important things to worry about. I'm sure he's fine, anyway."

"If you say so," Sokka said, looking down at his feet. "Yeah, diplomacy, really should have given that a better chance, shouldn't we?" he added timidly.

"Yes, but that's behind us now, we need to focus on the future."

"Sure."

Everyone was quiet for a long while, letting the current situation sink in, until Ty Lee spoke up, remembering something she had heard earlier.

"Uhm, I hate to be the one to say this, but – well, I overheard Zuko and Hefeng talk about it – but Aang… what if he isn't coming back?"

"What?" Katara asked in disbelieving shock at the mere thought.

"What if he's – you know?" Ty Lee asked nervously, her foot twisting around fretfully.

"No, I don't," Katara answered frostily.

"You don't? Really?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"And I thought I was dense," Ty Lee said, giving a feeble chuckle.

Katara gave her a reserved glare.

"Sorry," Ty Lee muttered shamefully, head drooping as she back away.

Sokka limped forth, to defend Ty Lee's words. He felt something needed to be decided about a matter he hadn't dared to touch for years, not because he was expecting Katara to lash out at him, but the complete opposite in fact. He really didn't want to hurt her like this, but it was finally time to face facts. "Katara, I think she had a point. We have to explore the possibility that Aang might have died ten years ago… and that maybe there's a new Avatar already in the world."

"No, that can't be. Aang is alive, he has to." Katara said with sombre defiance. She was unwilling to even accept thinking about it, but even so, doubts she had carried for years suddenly started to break free from behind the wall she had built to keep her insecurities hidden from her family."He couldn't just have died… it's not possible."

"Katara… I know it doesn't sound right, but it could have happened. We can't just ignore something like this… If Aang has died, then we need to find the new Avatar and train him or her, it's our duty and responsibility," Sokka said sadly. He really regretted having to do this to his sister.

"No! Aang can't be dead!" Katara whimpered, burying her face behind her hands, hiding the tears she had been unwilling to shed since the day Aang had left. "He can't!"

"I'm sorry, Katara," Sokka said softly as he held his sister close to himself, as if to protect her from the pains of the world.

***

The sun was setting as the four friends got onboard their newly acquired airship. Sokka wobbled forth first, eager to prove to everyone they didn't have to worry about him. He thought they had bigger problems to worry about than him in any case. Katara needed to accept her loss along with everyone else. Toph, was staying at a distance from him wearing a slight frown, he couldn't tell why. And even something seemed off about Ty Lee, he couldn't really tell what. Just how long had he been out?

And where was Zuko? Even though the man was probably alright, Sokka couldn't shake the familiar discomfort he had felt when Aang had disappeared years ago. What if the man wouldn't return either? Was he going to lose another friend? Damn it. He couldn't deal with another friend disappearing, feeling deep down that he should have been there by his side, both Aang's and Zuko's when it had mattered the most. He felt like he'd let them both down.

And know, as he grimaced at the shooting pain in his leg, biting down on his tongue as to not make a sound the girls could hear and worry about, he felt even more useless than he ever had as an awkward teen who couldn't bend amongst a group of masters. What if he couldn't fight anymore? What if he couldn't protect his friends and family?

Damn it, Zuko. The girls need someone to lean on who isn't already leaning on a crutch of his own… I need you too. Who else am I going to go out drinking with? Heh. Ouch, no more funnies, makes my ribs hurt, Sokka thought to himself as he settled in inside the airship's main hold.

A small moan escaped through his clenched teeth as he sat down, causing Toph, unknown to him, to likewise grit her teeth. She wanted to go over to Sokka and apologise for what had happened to him, but for the first time in her life, she was afraid. She couldn't understand it at all. She stood silently in the dark hold, as far away from Sokka as she could, trying to muster the courage she had always possessed before, but for some reason it was gone and not showing any signs of returning.

Ty Lee lounged in the middle of the hold, humming gently to herself, still wondering about Zuko. Had she said too much, too little? She still couldn't decide. And as no answer seemed to be forthcoming, she decided to drown out the nagging doubts with a happy tune she'd heard him sing to himself once, when he had thought he was alone. It had been something about the seasons. She had thought it was beautiful in a sad yet hopeful way. She still did. She hoped, like the shifting seasons of Zuko's tune, things would change, hopefully for the better.

Katara had decided to stay on the deck. There she could wave goodbye to her children, as they disappeared into the distance with the airship's departure. She had promised them she would return. They had argued against it in the quaint way that children always did, but she had made them understand that she had something very important to do. But she would come back. Somehow, it all felt rather hollow. It was all almost exactly what Aang had told her before he had left.

Even though Aang never really left her thoughts, even for a day, today Katara had finally come face to face with what she had tried to deny for years. Maybe it was time to let go…

She remained on the deck until the coldness of the eventual night descended on her. Ty Lee and Toph had each regularly come to fetch her down into the hold, worried about her, but she had quietly reassured them that she was fine and just wanted some time alone.

When Sokka had painstakingly limped up to check on her she finally relented, telling him she'd come down soon. He'd made a joke about being hungry, they'd both chuckled weakly, and then he had slowly wobbled back down, leaving her behind, sensing that she shouldn't be pushed at the moment.

For all of her interactions with the three others on the airship, she had never turned to face them. She had always answered their questions in a polite and curt manner, as to not worry them. When she finally decided to go down and get some sleep with the others, she wiped away the tears she had kept hidden from them throughout their journey.

***

Far away, on the borders of the South Pole, in a modestly sized village, a hooded man walked towards the small harbour, searching for the fastest way out of the country. It didn't take long for him to find a ship operated by a gang of waterbenders, specializing in fast deliveries between the South Pole and the Earth Kingdom. Paying them enough for an exceptionally fast journey to the Earth Kingdom came easily enough as well. For the Water Tribe, money had far less value than in the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom. The Water Tribes lived in places where hunting was the main source for occupation, allowing a man to properly feed his family well enough that way alone. And if he did need tools, weapons or clothing it was just a matter of trading food and furs for what was needed typically.

Zuko could never understand such a simplistic lifestyle. He had lived in palace for most of his life, and even in his exile had had more than enough money to buy more than just the necessities he had required on his hunt for the Avatar. Reducing one's life to the bare necessities like this, like when he had been on the run from the Fire Nation, were the worst things imaginable in his opinion. For starters, how could you get properly brewed tea in such conditions?

In any case, the waterbenders were more than happy to take him along with the other cargo they were taking with them to trade. With the small income they had generated from their transaction with Zuko, they would all get several rounds at a proper Earth Kingdom tavern. Some of them actually offered to buy him a drink or two with the money he had given them, but Zuko respectfully declined. He had work to do, and he didn't know if he had a time limit or not.

Azula was out there, still dangerous. She'd killed a lot of people before, saying it was with his interests at heart. The letter she had left for him hadn't filled him with much hope that she had changed her methods. He was responsible for her. He'd let her out of his sight.

And then there was this damn conspiracy to deal with. Best chance he had, Zuko reckoned, was to head for Ba Sing Se. It was where he had been heading when this whole mess had started. And if he was lucky, he might find Azula there too. She had said she'd gone after the mastermind in her letter, and Ba Sing Se was the only clue he had as to where that person might be.

He settled in between a couple of barrels with crossed arms, troubled by the whole ordeal. But as the ship began moving, with waves rocking it at a gentle rhythm, he felt the familiar calm that only a journey bestowed upon him. He was going somewhere, he had a goal. Even if it wasn't entirely clear what that goal was, at least he had something to chase after. It filled him with a sense of focus and reassurance, allowing him to let go of all the troubles in his head concerning his friends so he could concentrate on the mission.

Ty Lee would bounce back as she always did. Nothing could disturb that bubbly mind of hers for too long. Toph might get angry and punch some things, but she'd get over it. She was like a rock, steadfast and strong. Katara would let go of her anger, she always did. She was such a kind soul, hatred had no place in her heart. And Sokka… he'd live. And with the help of those three women, he'd overcome any sickness or injury, while Zuko would be out there, making sure they would all have the time to heal that they needed.

Together, they would be okay, safe and sound.

_Goodbye, guys._

All that was left for Zuko to do was risk his and only his life in the process, as it should have been from the beginning. It had been foolish to include everyone else in his little adventure. Maybe Ty Lee had been right from the start, maybe he had just been looking for a way to relive his glory days, bored with the monotony of the court. Well, he'd gotten what he'd wished for and then some.

Zuko focused on his breathing, allowing the troubled thoughts to drift away with his warm breath into the salty breeze. Soon, nothing but the mission remained. Azula. Conspiracy. Ba Sing Se. He would get to the bottom of it all, saving everyone else from a burden that was his to bear. He would give anything to make sure no one else would have to suffer because of him.

Anything.


	5. Chapter 5: On the Right Path

A/N: Pardon the delayed update, but inspiration struck and I was compelled to start work on a different and completely unrelated project. Anyway, now that the premise has been _thoroughly_ set, it's time for some action. It's a long chapter, so let's hope your eyes can take staring at a screen of text for a short while (Disclaimer: shortness of time not guaranteed). It's fun to experiment with different points of view btw.

* * *

Chapter 5: On the Right Path

She ran as fast as she could. She could hear the footfalls of running men behind her, like thunder in her head it sounded. Her breathing grew heavy as she jumped over bushes and rocks, dodging closely packed trees and ducking under low branches. Sometimes she would nearly slip as she accidently jumped onto a smooth little puddle that had been frozen by the previous cold night. Luckily there wasn't any snow yet to further hinder her.

When she thought she had lost her pursuers, running around aimlessly in the forest, she would take a short break to catch her breath, doubling over because of the sharp pain in her abdomen. But these breaks were always short, as the wild calls of men hungry for her blood would ring through the forest, quickly followed by the thundering of their feet as they hunted her like an animal. She was always forced to continue her escape, but after each stop, her pace would slow down dangerously from a slowly increasing exhaustion.

She dearly hoped they didn't have any benders with them. She'd heard horror stories about them since she was a little child. She'd been told the terrors of the battlefields she had been lucky enough to avoid because of her young age at the time were nothing in comparison to what waited a soldier if they ran into a bender, or was captured, only to be sent to be tortured in strange, horrifying ways. They said knives and conventional ways were far more preferable to the ways an imaginative bender could harm you.

Even though she'd lived under the constant fear of war and death throughout her childhood, she'd tried to keep an open mind about the people on the other side of the war, although most of her village still hated them with deep rooted rage. Surely there must have been some people on the other side of the frontiers who felt like she did about war? And after the 100 year war, it had seemed like that, but only for a moment. Her parents hadn't allowed her to leave their village, fearful that the old enemies of the war were still vindictive. She hadn't believed them, she'd run away, believing people were good at heart, that old hates had long died. Oh, how wrong she had been.

Tripping over an outstretched root, she fell over and rolled into a small depression in the landscape, void of any plant life. Her tumble over jagged rocks ended in a cold, wet splash.

She held her aching forehead, feeling a warm liquid trickle past her fingers. As her wits returned she looked at her hand, terror gripping her mind as she saw her crimson coloured hand. This is what you're on the inside, this is what they're going to empty you off, she thought in horror.

She looked around desperately for a way to escape. She was in a river, that had nearly dried away, with only water reaching her knees, while high walls of worn earth prevented her from climbing out. She looked down at the water rushing past her legs, seeing the gentle blue dyed red around her feet. She could barely see herself reflected in the hypnotic dark red water. Then more shapes appeared around her. She screamed as she realized that the new reflections were those of the men who had been chasing her.

"Well, well, well. What a nice place you found for us, girlie," one of the men laughed, before he jumped into the river in front of her.

She turned around to run away from him, but another man jumped down with a mighty splash to stop her escape.

"No, please, don't hurt me! I just wanted to travel, see people! I was just passing through your village! If you let me go, I swear I'll never come back!" she squealed, looking around in desperation for a face that wasn't leering at her.

"You haven't payed properly," the man behind her said with a voice that chilled her to the core.

"Ye-yes I have, I payed full price for all the food I bought! Puh-please! I've done nothing wrong! I'm just passing through!" she shouted as she turned around the face the man.

"Yeah, your kind always liked to do that didn't they, just pass through? Well, no more." The man took slow steps towards here. "And do you really think money will ever repay for the damage your kind did? My whole family was killed, my village razed. And you think a few coins from you will help?!"

"I-I-I just payed for what I've b-bought, and w-we payed reparations!"

"Not good enough. I saw them do things, things to girls like you, terrible things. You think any amount of money will ever pay for the lives you took from us?! NO!!" the man shouted, with a rage he'd held for so long, because it was all he had left, all he could feel now, allowing it to finally consume him. "No. You gotta pay. The lotta you gotta pay for what you did to us. They took my daughter, must've been as old as you, and they… they…"

Tears started streaming down the man's face as he marched towards her. She backed away, horrified by the broken beast in front of her, until she bumped into the man behind her, who grabbed her tightly.

"No! Please! Don't!" She screamed, wriggling in the man's hold as the one who'd been talking drew closer. "I'm – I'm sorry! I'm sorry we attacked you! I'm sorry we killed so many of you! I'm sorry we burned your lands! But please, _please_, don't kill me!"

"Kill you?" the man in front of her asked, almost surprised. "No, we're not gonna kill you. You're gonna have to pay, for everything you did to us, for what you did to my little girl, the only way that matters… the punishment should fit the crime don't you think?"

The man drew a knife, then held it against her stomach. Her wriggling in the arms of the man holding her stopped immediately.

"Puh-p-please," she begged. "Don't do this!"

"Shut up!" the man snapped.

The knife sank into her clothing, but stopped as it reached her skin, then it started going upwards, slowly slicing her shirt in half.

"NO!!"she screamed.

This was it, she would have to do it, to harm someone else so she could escape, even though she had taken a vow not to misuse her gift as countless others had before her.

Red flames burst from her right foot, with which she kicked the man cutting her shirt. He flew several metres, hitting the river with a splash and sizzle as the small fires on his clothing were extinguished.

She then lit her palms on fire, causing the man holding her to release her in shock. She spun and smashed her fiery palms into his stomach, sending him flying in a similar manner as the first man.

"Firebender!" the men on the high, dried banks of the river shouted. "Get her!"

Two men jumped down from the banks, but instead of landing into the water, it instead rose up to meet them in long thick tendrils, freezing in place so they could slide down on them. As the first one landed in the small flowing river, he brought his hands around him in a large wave, redirecting the water into the air and at the girl.

She fired a shot of fire at the stream of water headed her way, but the weak burst was smothered by the greater amounts of water. The water crashed down on her heavily, sending her flying into the high riverbanks.

"Hah! That was easy," the first waterbender said as he advanced on the girl, coiling water around his hand into a whip. "Now let's have some fun."

He raised his hand, the water whip swaying back into an arch, ready to strike.

The girl coughed, raising her bumped head just in time to see the whip come racing at her face. As if in horrifying slow motion, the water approached her face, until abruptly, a small stone pillar erupted in front of her face, taking the brunt of the whip's hit.

All the men gathered around on the opposite side of the river's edge and the waterbenders in the low remains of the river looked up at the other side of the river. There they spotted a group of four people staring back at them.

One of them, a woman with a weird bun in her hair and dressed mostly in greens, crouched down and gave the waterbenders an empty look. She tapped the ground at her feet and the pillar between the waterbender and the girl sank back into the riverbed.

"Just what's going on here?" A woman with long braided hair, dressed in the blues of the Southern Water Tribe asked.

The man with the knife got up and eyed the new arrivals suspiciously. "I see that you're from our sister tribe. Greetings," he said gruffly. He then refocused his attention on the Fire Nation girl. "If you want, you can join in on disciplining this murderous cow."

"What? She killed someone?"

"No! I swear! I was just passing through! I bought some food and when I was leaving their village, they chased me, accusing me of theft and attacked me! And then – then they tried to –" the girl lying in the river shouted up at the four new people, silently praying for help.

"Shut up! Lying Fire Nation scum! We've had enough of your kind, it's time we cleaned this world of your filth," the knife-man shouted at the girl as he started advancing on her again, knife held ready to cut her open.

"You'll stop right there," Katara said sternly.

"You're Water Tribe, Southern no less! You should know full well the pain and damage the likes of her caused on us! It's time for some justice!"

"At knifepoint? By the spirits, have you lost your mind? The war is over, has been for a long time."

"It's only just begun!" the man shouted back at her angrily, teeth gritted and hands shaking with rage. "Just who's side are you on?"

"The same side I've always been on, of the victims of mad, hateful men like you."

"RAARRGH! Kill them, kill them all!" the man shouted before he tossed his knife at the Fire Nation girl, who was still lying in the river.

Once again the earth between the girl and her attackers rose to her defence, but this time in the form of a solid wall, separating her completely from all the others around and in the river. She could hear the animal like shouts of the men as they attacked the four who had appeared. She sat up and held her legs tight against her chest, quietly muttering, trying to push the sounds of fighting out of her head.

On the other side of the wall, Katara, Toph and Ty Lee had leapt down into the river along with the men on the other side of the river. The fight that broke out was fast and intense. Knives and swords were drawn and swung wildly. Ty Lee dodged, jumped and spiralled around the men and their weapons as if she were dancing, occasionally tapping or pinching a nerve cluster, dropping men and weapons alike.

Katara and Toph went after the two waterbenders, knocking out the occasional fighter unlucky to find himself in the way of their elemental attacks. The waterbenders, however, were ready for them. One of them had gathered and condensed great amounts of water around his fists, keeping it from freezing just barely as the pressure squeezed on his hands. However, he had allowed small patches of ice to form into sharp spikes. The other one had gathered a spinning web of ice shards, ripping water and boiling steam around him.

"This should be fun," Toph said with a wide grin, as she held her hands out, stones from the riverbed rising to cover her fists. She kicked at the earth under the water that barely reached her knees. A stone flew at the gloved waterbender, who punched the rock away with a splash, sending it flying away.

Toph watched it fly toward the group of men being kept busy by Ty Lee.

"Duck!" Toph shouted as the rock flew towards them.

"Where?" Ty Lee asked with astonishment while punching a man in the gut.

"Verb!" Toph shouted, knowing this would be enough.

"Oh!" Ty Lee exclaimed, having realization hit her instead of the rock as she nimbly ducked just in time. The rock hit a man next to her, who had been aiming at her head with a club. "Thanks!"

Katara took control of the water at her feet, sending it into a spiralling lance of ice as she prepared for the next phase of her attack. She planted her feet firmly, summoning the energy she would need while keeping her opponent distracted with shards of ice, which he knocked out the air with his various spinning forms of water.

Toph on the other hand didn't have any grand plans, she just wanted a good brawl. She went head-to-head, fist-to-fist and even foot-to-foot with her opponent. She and her opponent had both summoned protective layers of their respective elements around their bodies where needed. They both kept wailing on each other, trying to knock out the other. Toph was really enjoying herself as she kept pummelling. She could have taken the easy wait out and trapped his feet and pulled the rest of him down into the earth before he had a chance to do anything, but where was the fun in that? She needed to unwind and nothing felt as relieving as breaking a good sweat.

Meanwhile, Sokka had struggled with the problem of getting down with only one good leg to use. He stood in a thoughtful pose for a short while, with a few glances around for anything that could help him, but came to the realization that there was no other way down except the straight way. Now _that_ presented a problem. He could of course try to balance on the rocks, trying to climb down the steep drop, but that would take far too long. He had a plan, but he didn't really like what it entailed.

He surveyed the battleground, noticing that the girls would soon run out of opponents. So he had to move fast if he wanted in on the action. He shrugged like a man giving into his fate, before he tucked his cane close to him and rolled down the high riverside.

"Auch! Ooh! Aw!" Sokka went until he rolled to a stop in the running water in the middle of the drying river.

"Okay, next time, I'm looking for a more slanting way to walk down," he said, rubbing his butt as he got up, cane waving threateningly in the air. "Now… who wants a piece of me?"

One of the men who had managed to remain completely untouched by Ty Lee because he had been hiding behind his comrades noticed Sokka and decided to go for an easy kill. At least _he'd_ have something to boast about later, seeing as everyone else was getting beaten silly by a woman.

"That's it, come on…" Sokka said eagerly, gripping his cane with both hands, "I've just been itching to give this thing a proper workout."

Sokka pulled on his cane's handle, unsheathing the blade inside it. The man who had approached him, stopped dead in his tracks, eyeing the suddenly more threatening target with growing apprehension.

"That's right! Cane sword, baby! The epitome of cool swordsmanship! Uwaah!" Sokka shouted excitedly, limping slowly towards his opponent, steadying his steps with the rest of his empty cane.

His opponent stared incredulously at the wobbling wreck of a man. "You can't be serious," he muttered before began his advance once again. This would be ridiculously easy.

"Yeah, that's right, come closer. It'll be easier on both of us," Sokka said, grinning with self-assured confidence.

Toph had noticed Sokka's tumble and heard his following taunts. She had to end her fight now and help the idiot before he got killed. She tried to catch the man she was fighting with clamps from the earth at their feet, but the pace of their brawl had set him into a rhythm that allowed him to avoid them. She'd have to take him out the good old fashioned way.

Toph shot the cluster of rocks around her fist at her opponent, knowing he'd try to punch it away. But just as he was about to do so, Toph opened the hand from which she had shot the clump, resulting in the earth held together by her will to erupt into a dust cloud. She then quickly jumped into the cover and knocked the waterbender out with a hard blow to the man's jaw with her other, still rock crusted hand. He hadn't seen a thing in the dust.

Sokka came to a halt, swaying as he regained his balance. He drew back his sword, ready to meet his own opponent in fair combat. This is it, this is when you prove you can still fight and protect everyone, that you won't be a burden, Sokka thought to himself, sweating profusely. I sure hope I'm up to it.

His opponent swung high at him. Sokka brought his arm around in a wide arc to catch the blade. He was going to make it!

However, a stone pillar erupted in between him and his adversary, catching both of their blades. Sokka tugged on his sword, trying to beat his foe to the first blow. He did succeed, but he fell over since his left leg didn't afford him with proper balance.

_Damn it, get up get up! Get up!!_

Sokka rolled on the ground, not wanting to risk taking a blow if his opponent's sword was ready for a new attack. He finished his roll, completely soaked and dripping, on his knees and sword held ready for a parry. But the blow never came.

His foe was waist deep in the water, trying to push himself out of the riverbed into which he had suddenly sunk into.

"Don't worry. I got your back," Toph said as she rushed past the two would-be fighters on her way to help Ty Lee deal with the rest of the men. There was still quite a large amount of them standing, but not because Ty Lee hadn't been keeping busy. The river was littered with at least a dozen men lying in it.

"But, he was mine…" Sokka said miserably, giving his cane sword a sad look. Water from his soaked clothing dripped onto the blade. He stared at the droplets miserably, wishing he had something that wasn't as soaked as he was to wipe his cane sword before it got all rusty. He'd had it for years, but carrying it around before had only gotten dumb looks from everyone so he'd never really used it. He would have preferred the old dumb looks to the pitying ones he received now with it.

Katara continued fighting passively, dodging the occasional attack from her own waterbender adversary while occasionally shooting a few badly aimed ice shards at him. But she was ready now. She took a deep breath and raise her hands. Then she breathed out all the air in her lungs, while bringing her hands down to her sides. The water at her feet froze instantly, but it didn't stop there.

"Heads up, guys!" Katara shouted to warn her friends.

The waterbender she was fighting was taken by surprise at such a large bending and toppled over as his feet froze in place. Further up the river, where everyone else was, the river also froze solid, trapping the men. Toph had summoned a wide column under feet, hoisting her above the water, onto which Ty Lee had swiftly jumped as well.

Katara took advantage of her opponent's surprise and bent the ice behind him. The ice melted and wrapped itself around his hands, pulling them back behind his back to stop him from bending as the water refroze.

Katara unfroze a small area around her feet and stepped onto the ice. "I'm not sure if you're good enough to bend yourself out of that while restrained like that, but knowing that you've just seen me bend the entire river solid, you should realize I'm way out of your league. So be a good little boy and stay still," Katara said before walking over towards Sokka.

"Need some help?" she asked slyly, as she looked down her brother.

"…I guess…" Sokka answered dejectedly, trying not to wriggle his butt too much in the cold hold of the ice.

With one hand Katara grabbed her brother's outstretched hand while simultaneously melting the ice around him with a swipe of her free hand.

"Careful now… it's slippery," Katara said in a motherly voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sokka muttered half-heartedly as he carefully made his way over to the river's bank, starting a slow climb up. It was slow and slightly painful going, but he just wanted to do something by himself.

"Ty Lee, check up on that girl, will you?" Katara shouted at her on the protruding column in the frozen river.

"Sure thing, mama bear," Ty Lee replied jovially, jumping onto the opposite bank, on which the men had stood, and racing towards Toph's earthen wall.

Toph was sitting on her column, legs hanging over the side as she waved them back and forth. "What are we going to do with these guys then?" She asked, pointing at the men who struggled to pull themselves free of the ice. The ones who still had weapons were slowly chipping away at the ice around they're feet.

"I think –"

"She's not here!" Ty Lee shouted from on top of the wall, as she continued scanning the world on its opposite side. "Should I go and look for her?"

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary. Now that we've taken care of these guys, she'll probably be okay," Katara answered, giving the gathered men a dark look. "Let's just hope she's smart enough to head back home safely. We need to get going anyway. With the balloon gone, we'll have to walk the rest of the way until we find a town on the coast."

"Not my fault!" Sokka shouted from halfway to the top of his climb.

"_Sure_ it wasn't. How could you have had _anything_ to do with your cane sword embedding itself in the balloon as you showed it off for the _hundredth_ time, puncturing it and causing us to crash land in the middle of the forest with almost half of the trip remaining," Katara said sarcastically, giving her eyes a good roll in their sockets.

"Could've happened to anyone," Sokka said nonchalantly as he peered around for a handhold for the next leg of his climb.

"Here, let me help you," Toph offered, flicking her hands in Sokka's direction. A small level platform burst forth under Sokka's feet.

"No! I can do _IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!!!_" Sokka squealed as the platform shot up and carried him up the rest of the way.

"You okay?" Toph asked worriedly.

"Yeah, just peachy," Sokka said as he clambered off the platform and onto solid ground, before he muttered, "Never mind the fact I nearly wet myself with fright… not that you could tell the difference anyway as I'm soaking wet."

Katara joined him, with fresh water curling up under her feet and pushing her up. "C'mon guys, we still have a long way to go."

"We're just leaving these guys here?" Toph asked, as she steadied herself while the top of her column detached and slowly levitated towards Katara and Sokka. Earthbending powered flight wasn't easy, but since one could toss boulders around like feathers, it hadn't taken the little master bender long to develop the trick to it. Her theory was that levitation of this sort wasn't easy because usually an earthbender was in contact with the earth itself, in its entirety, instead of a mere insignificant piece of it. And even though it might be slow going and rather impractical, she was proud to know that she was the only one who could manage to waste her time in such a showy manner.

"We'll let them _cool_ down for a while," Katara said smugly.

"Oh _please_." This time it was Sokka's turn to roll his eyes.

"What?" Katara asked defensively.

"Nothing… I was just wondering if you could help me with my water problem?"

"Oh, sure." Katara waved her hands in front of Sokka, summoning the moisture from his wet clothes into orbs of water which she then threw at one of the men down in the river, hacking away at the ice around his feet with a knife, muttering threats.

"Ready to go-go?" Ty Lee asked, coming out of a series of cartwheels as she joined the rest.

"Yes, we really don't have the time, especially seeing as how long the trip will take, all things considered," Katara said, eyeing Sokka's leg carefully.

"What? No time to lecture these idiots about the value of life and the demons of intolerance? You know, a very special moment where you get to make the world a better place," Sokka asked smugly, turning his attention from the now loudly swearing and soaked knife-man to the others.

"What?" he asked uncertainly, noticing the other's worried looks.

* * *

"Well, this just blows… hard I might add," Sokka said over the rumbling of the square piece of earth he was sitting on as it made its way through the forest.

"What are _you_ complaining about?" Toph said in an annoyed voice, as she pushed Sokka and the rest on the large slab of rock. She was using a more subtle form of her landslide manoeuvre to propel them forwards, the earth under her feet undulating as it pushed her forwards.

"It's just that… You guys didn't have to go this far just because of me," Sokka pouted inspecting his blade.

"We would have done this anyway, Sokka. This _is_ the fastest way," Toph said.

Sokka was silent for a moment, seemingly concentrating on his sword. "Yeah, I know…" he muttered as he resheathed his sword with a snap. He gave Katara and Ty Lee a long look, both sitting at the front of the big slab, the pair taking turns trying different braids on the other. Sokka had decided to stay back with Toph instead of joining in on what was bound to be an exciting adventure into the world of hair styling. He had his warrior's wolf-tail, and he liked it like that.

Of course, there was another reason why he was sitting where he was as well.

"When we were fighting, why did you have to get in my way?" Sokka asked, maintaining his eyes on the two other women instead of Toph, who he was speaking to.

"What do you?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was going to parry that blow and then your earthbending totally blocked me. And then you took the guy out yourself."

"It was a fight, you're s'posed to take out enemies."

"Yeah but it was mine, you had more than your fair share."

"Are you _serious_?"

"Of course I am."

"I was just looking out for you, is all."

"I don't need to be looked after, I can still fight. I can still help."

The two paused in their conversation, uncertain of how to advance.

"Look, this situation I'm in, it's just gonna take some time to get used to," Sokka said bashfully, taking his eyes off Katara and Ty Lee, only to return them to his blade, which he partially pulled out again, looking at the shining blade and its reflections. "Sorry if I seem like I'm acting crazy or something. It's just that… my whole life is different again because of some maniac with a grudge. It'll take some time to sink in."

"Sokka… I just wanted to say, about you getting hit, taking those arrows for me…" Toph said, straining with effort to say every word.

"What?" Sokka asked, sliding the cane sword's blade away with another snap.

"Sorry," Toph said quietly.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, whatever, not your fault I'm like this anyway." Sokka tossed his arms up into the air before assuming a relaxed position on the rumbling slab, head resting on his hands as he stared up at the sky. "There's nothing you could have done anyway."

Toph remained silent as she quickened the pace.

* * *

"Those idiots!" Katara shouted, kicking over a large ice sculpture of a previous Northern Tribe leader, as she exited from the Grand Hall in which she had spent the entirety of the morning debating with the leaders of her sister tribe.

"Didn't go so well, I'm guessing," Toph asked from behind a thick coat of fur that nearly hid her completely from sight. She and Ty Lee had elected to stay outside, too afraid of the policies of democracy. The pair thought that they did enough arguing on a regular basis anyway. And you weren't allowed to get physical either when someone had a differing opinion, making the whole ordeal even more intolerable.

Katara didn't say a word as she stalked away, teeth gnashing together only to open occasionally to let loose an unintelligible grumble.

"Nope," Sokka said, slowly emerging from the hall behind Katara, "They say it's too risky to pull back now. The whole situation's too unstable. Of course, we didn't suggest a full retreat, just of the major military forces… well, that was mainly my suggestion, but Katara seems to be adamant on a total retreat, with only aid being delivered to the Fire Nation. No one's really digging the idea. And boy, you guys have no idea how much things have deteriorated over there. Not only is there major civil unrest in the areas controlled by The Tribe and Earth Kingdom, but the remaining factions outside of the occupation have resorted to some pretty bloody guerrilla tactics. Worst of all is that the Fire Nation still has some of the most impressive war machinery. The whole countries being torn apart. What's left of the Fire Nation is either trying to make a united front, or stuck dealing with petty power struggles as some old warmongers see this as their long overdue chance to seize power."

"Woah…" Toph intoned, trying to picture the immensity of the situation so she could feel the full weight of it all.

"The Tribe agreed to halt their advance on remaining opposition, but only so that they can stabilize the areas they already control. The Earth Kingdom on the other hands is still as vindictive as ever, they still haven't forgotten all the damage that was done to their lands. It seems like they've decided to go full-scale and wreck what's left of the planet just to satisfy their sense of retribution."

"Ugh," Toph moaned, scowling nastily as she thought of her own nation's actions, suddenly starting to regret her usual state of attire. Green suddenly felt like a very nasty colour, even though she had no idea what it really looked like.

Sokka gave a look around, spotting Ty Lee who had desolately been listening to the news. She was now kneeling, hugging her knees, under her own thick coat, looking depressingly at a spot in the snowy ground.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked hobbling towards the silent girl.

"Yeah, just peachy," Ty Lee said with what almost sounded like sarcasm.

"Hey, it's not –"

"What are we going to do next?" Ty Lee interrupted Sokka's consoling speech impatiently.

"Uhm." Sokka thought for a moment, shifting gears in his mind from sympathetic to usual deviser of plans. "I guess we head for the Earth Kingdom next. Hopefully we'll get them to stop advancing as well. And then – then we'll think about what to do next."

Ty Lee sighed.

"It's not going to happen just like –"

"Can we just get a move on?" Ty Lee asked, slightly annoyed as she stood up and started walking after Katara, who was well on her way through the royal premises, still knocking over the occasional sculpture, although the frequency had decreased considerably. "If what you say is true, we don't have much time to sit around."

"Yeah, sure," Sokka said uncertainly, giving Toph a questioning sideways look.

"Hmmm," Toph hummed thoughtfully.

"What do you think?"

"I think she's right," Toph said, setting off to follow the other two.

"Well _yeah_, but – Hey! Wait up! Guy with a limp here!" Sokka spoke as he lurched after the others, adding quietly to himself, "Jeez, no respect for the S-man, none whatsoever."


	6. Chapter 6: The Old Dragon Goes West

Chapter 6: The Old Dragon Goes West

Zuko was making his way slowly on a tired, old ostrich horse. It hadn't been his first choice for transportation, but it had been all the village he had arrived in could offer him. He was gently riding it down a wide road, with a lush forest on his left side and a gushing river down to his right.

He spent the quiet hours on the road with his thoughts, running over plans and trying to remember details, things he might have missed. His thoughtful processes were however interrupted by loud yelling. He looked around and spotted a girl running up towards him.

"Help! Quickly, you have to help! We were ambushed!" the girl shouted at him, making her way up hill.

Zuko pulled on his reins and turned his mount around. The ostrich horse began its increasingly quickening pace down the hill towards the approaching girl. She froze in fear as the animal trundled down on her, holding her hands up in front of her face.

Zuko grabbed the girl, in her early teens by the look of it, and hoisted her onto the saddle behind him without stopping as he rode downwards. She screamed with fright.

"Calm down, I just need you to show me where," Zuko said reassuringly as their mount jumped into the river and waded its way over.

"Oh – it's a – that way, just past those trees." She pointed over Zuko's shoulder at the nearby woods.

"Okay," Zuko said, flicking his reins.

It only took them a couple of minutes to reach a giant carriage, practically the size of a small cabin, which was surrounded by men in ragged clothes and long beards, the very quintessential image of roadside villainy.

"Take the reins. Stay back," Zuko ordered as he rode towards the closest bandit. When he was close enough, he jumped out of the saddle, tackling the man who had looked up in surprise at the sudden commotion.

Zuko's shoulder hit him in the chest, knocking the wind out of the man. Zuko rolled away from him thanks to inertia and landed in a wide stance, one arm already reaching for his blade on his back. He surveyed his surrounding and spotted two more men.

One of them was already coming at him with a raised sword. Zuko grabbed the handle of his own blade, but was unable to pull it out. His throat seemed to close on him, his newest scar tightening around his throat like a noose. He could feel the cold touch of his blade against his throat again.

His opponent swung too early, giving Zuko the chance to roll backwards, away from the attack. He released his hold on his blade and gasped with relief. He could breathe again.

One of the bandits was behind him now, having circled around the carriage. He brought down his club at Zuko's head.

Zuko spun on his legs, swiping out the club-man's feet. But he didn't stop the spinning there. He properly braced his hands against the ground and spun his legs about in wide arcs, shooting streamers of red flame at the two remaining men who were approaching him.

"Firebender! Run!" The men screamed, running off in opposite directions. The last one on the ground quickly scrambled up, head spinning, unable to decide which of his comrades to follow, but quickly opted to make his own escape route.

"Hh, that was easy," Zuko said looking around for any more danger. Satisfied with what he didn't find, he pulled on the straps holding his swords in place, taking the cold, sharp tools off his back, giving them a sombre look.

This was the first time ever he had felt so extremely uneasy holding the weapons. For most of his life, he could remember treating them as extensions of his arms, a vital part of his body, just as much a part of him as any limb. They had felt good. But now, all that happened when he gazed upon the blades was an uneasy itching around his throat.

He put the swords aside, letting them lean against the carriage, giving his throat a quick scratch.

"That was amazing! You're a firebender too?" the girl Zuko had taken with him asked as she looked down at him with deep awe and respect from the saddle.

"Too?" Zuko said, as he offered a hand to help the girl off the ostrich horse. She took it eagerly and quickly jumped off next to him. She stared at him like a great piece of art.

"Like my master," she said as she continued staring at him dreamily, trying to imprint every detail of Zuko into her memory.

"Master…?"

"Yes, he's – wait! You're Prince Zuko, aren't you? I mean, Fire Lord now, um, sorry you've been that for a while now, haven't you? It's just so easy to forget these types of things because of the stories I always hear about you from my master. My name's Takigi, by the way! Oh, this is such an honour! Please, come in! I'll get us some tea. You like jasmine right?"

"Wait, how do you know –"

"Oh, how silly of me! And of course he'll want to see you! I just hope those crooks didn't wake him up, he's usually such a deep sleeper nowadays, so they might not have woken him up yet, provided they didn't get too far into the carriage. Damn, they must have scared away our animals, the ones we use for pulling the carriage. I hope they're still close by… oh, but the tea! No, silly me! The two of you should meet again first, it's been so long after all. Oh, this'll be so touching, it's like fate or something! So perfect!" Takigi spoke excitedly, before heading inside the large carriage through a door at the side.

"Oh, the place is a mess! But it looks like they didn't get too far… I'm sure he's still sound asleep, the old lynx goose!" Takigi's voice could be heard as she made her way through the giant carriage.

"Huh?" Zuko scratched his head, eyebrow raised to its maximum height.

"Wakey wakey, master! There's someone you should really meet outside! It's like the stars are aligned or something! Did you commune with the spirits to make sure this happened?" Takigi's loud voice echoed through the door.

"Grmf, what are you talking about, silly girl?" An old, raspy voice asked.

Zuko's jaw dropped as he recognized the voice. "Now way…"

"It's Zuko!! He's here!" Takigi squealed excitedly. Zuko could hear the clapping of hands inside the carriage.

"Zuko! Get me up girl! Where's my cane?"

Soon, an old man with long white hair and a beard to match was escorted to door. He stood there, with eyes that had turned almost completely white, with only remnants of the gold irises and dark pupils remaining. He swayed gently while Takigi held his arm to support him.

"Uncle…?" Zuko asked, his voice breaking a little.

"Zuko, my boy! What a sight for sore eyes! Heh Heh," Iroh laughed, holding his arms up wide as he stepped forwards.

"Wait, master I haven't put down the stairs ye-"

"Omf! I noticed," Iroh said as he got up on his knees, rubbing his nose after the fall.

* * *

Zuko and Iroh had retreated to a nearby gazebo, one that Takigi had been exceptionally excited to point out for them. She would have continued going on about the natural beauty the spot retained throughout all the seasons if Iroh hadn't politely reminded her of the escaped carriage pulling animals. She had then flustered greatly about bringing the pair tea before anything, knowing how special such a reunion was for people so close to each other, but had eventually retreated to look for the animals as Iroh had given her a light flick on the nose.

The two men, like father and son, sat together around a small table, just enjoying the silent moment between them. No words needed to be said, in fact both felt that they would have cheapened the magical feel of the moment. They hadn't seen each other in years, mostly because of Zuko's demanding role as the Fire Lord, which had proved to be a rather difficult process of trying to make bridges between other countries instead of burning them, as per the previous foreign policy, and it hadn't merely been a figurative job.

Despite the overwhelming happiness and comforting feeling Iroh seemed to radiate, Zuko could feel storm clouds gathering in his mind. There were things, things he had kept hidden from others, things he had never dared to tell anyone else, fearing that he would be feared and possibly loathed because of them, but far more importantly, it was Iroh's current state that worried him most, not all the sombre things he wanted to unburden himself of. Perhaps there would be time for them later but now:

"You're going blind." It was more of a statement than a question. Perhaps that was why the condition seemed to garner a certain morbid finality to it.

"Yes, that sort of thing does tend to happen when one collects too many years under the belt," Iroh said with a reassuring smile as he patted his returned, large belly in an effort to comfort his nephew. Immediately, despite not being able to fully see him, Iroh had known that something heavy was once again burdening his nephew. "But at least I haven't lost my sense of taste yet. Now _that_ would have been a tragedy!"

Zuko smirked, but after realizing how this subtle show of kindredship might have been lost on the old man, chuckled lightly. It felt horribly hollow, coming so late. The pair remained silent, not knowing if anything further could be added to the subject.

Iroh scratched the top of his balding head idly. "Takigi told me this place is beautiful. Would you describe it for me? All I can see anymore are dark shades and blots, dancing about." He then coughed lightly.

"Sure. We're in a gazebo, painted white. The path that lead us here is on… your left, snaking its way up towards the main road. Trees surround the place on three sides. If I recall correctly, these trees in this area are rather unique in the world, blooming four times a year, but only very briefly. They're said to be incredibly beautiful, but I've never seen them bloom. To your right, there is a sudden drop, several hundred paces away, giving us a lovely view of a valley below, thick with vegetation and a soft mist. From the gazebo, there goes a small path towards the edge, towards a giant tree. There is a significant outcropping on which the largest tree for miles stands alone, thick roots apparently supporting, just as much depending on the outcropping. It _is_ rather beautiful."

"Thank you, Zuko. Hearing that such wondrous places still exist within this world fills an old man's heart with great joy," Iroh said, turning his head back and forth, looking at the landscape as he pictured it with his mind.

Silence once again descended. Zuko felt uneasy. He had been holding on to so much, but he was seriously debating whether to unburden himself on his uncle or not. The old man seemed to be enjoying the quiet moment so much, that disturbing it felt as horrid as running through a glass house after an escaped pet. So many fragile things could be broken if this door was opened, but keeping it all in seemed to be just as disastrous.

"Uncle, I'm not sure if you've heard… but I'm not…"

"The Fire Lord anymore? Oh, I've heard a great deal about the happenings of this world, from friends and others. But Zuko, I don't think that is what's really bothering you," Iroh said, turning his blank gaze on Zuko.

"No, it's not…" Zuko replied dismally, averting his eyes from the white orbs of his uncle's. "It's… No, not just this conspiracy I think that's going on, but… everyone around me. My friends, my loved ones. I'm worried about them."

"Why? They are all very capable people." Iroh cocked his head slightly, the light that was reflected from his silvery beard shifting along with his head.

"They are, but I don't think that'll be enough… No matter who it ever was, when they got close to me, they seem to get hurt."

"What are you talking about?"

"I feel… feel like I'm cursed or something. My family is all torn apart. My father went insane in his prison cell, but what else could have happened to someone so power hungry after they lost it all. I payed him a few visits, trying to be the better man, to fix things, but he never did anything but taunt me, until he went crazy. I hated him so much, but when I saw him break, I should have felt pity shouldn't I? But I didn't. I still hate him, which makes me feel angry at myself. But that's not even the worst of it, not by a long shot. Mai and I broke up, she got too close to me as well, but I couldn't be there for her, I was always too busy. Azula seems to… be heading in the wrong direction again because of me as well. I forgave her and tried to help her, but I think I only made things worse for her by trying to get closer to her. And mother…

I never told anyone else this, but when I found her, she was dying. She was literally on her death bed. She told me to look after Azula. She told me how much she loved us both. I couldn't just let her die like that, so I swore I'd do my best to help her, but… now Azula seems to be worse than ever… because of me. I never found out the real reason behind why mother left, but I think I know most of it. She did it to protect me, to keep me save. She was closest to me, and she suffered for it…

I took my friends along to stop more bloodshed recently, and all it amounted to was hurting my nation more than it might have on its own. And Sokka – remember him? – he was almost killed. Ty Lee has nightmares, and Toph, she's hiding a pain as well after that moment, just like me. Katara probably noticed it first, but I seem to hurt the ones she loves, but it's because we share so many loved ones. I think I might be the reason why so many people around me are hurting. I've brought so much pain and misery to their lives. I feel like the people around me get hurt, and that's only if they're lucky, if they get too close, if they care too much, if _I_ love them too much, they die, like my mother. I'm afraid it might happen to my friends if they stay too close to me."

Iroh had listened silently, tensing up at the mention of loved ones dying if they came too close or loved the man. He too had a secret to reveal, but this was not the time, not yet. Zuko would find out soon enough anyway. Before anything else happened, he would have to help his nephew one last time.

Iroh coughed roughly. "Zuko…" He said lovingly.

"Yes…?"

"Don't be an idiot. People die. Most of the time we can't do anything about it. But when we can, it's all the more important that we do."

"But – mother died because she had to leave in order to protect me. She was banished to an island, left to die without proper food or medicine, heartbroken. If she'd stayed with us, if I hadn't been there… she'd be living at the palace, save and sound."

"With my brother Ozai… I remember a long time ago, back when they were young, they truly were happy together. Ozai had always been ambitious, but it was only later, after I had my own son, that he seemed to get more obsessed with power. With building his own legacy. Your mother might have been better off in banishment than living with Ozai. Slowly, he changed. We used to be the best of brothers. Certainly, I did tease him quite a bit when we were young – something I deeply regret doing to this day – but we remained close, until I went off, gaining rewards, titles and the respect of everyone in the Fire Nation and of our _own_ father of course. That change was what caused your mother's exile in the first place, so do you think she would have been better off with him then?"

"She might be alive… Maybe not, I don't know, but it doesn't change things. She did it for me and she suffered a painful death because of it. Sokka was on the mission with me and he nearly died because of me. Azula and Mai, they got close to me, loved me and they both got hurt. Mai's back home fighting for our country and Azula is either dead or heading towards bloody slaughter. All because of me. Everyone I'm close to gets hurt, so I cut my losses and left them behind, so I could do what was required of me."

"And what exactly is required of you?"

"I have to set things right. It's my duty." Zuko's hands on the table tightened into fists.

Iroh coughed. "Why?"

"It's not just because I'm the Fire Lord, or that I'm descended from the Avatars. I need to atone for not just every wrong thing I've done myself, but all the evil my family has done as well. If I don't do it, who will?"

"Admirable, Zuko, but I think it is too much responsibility for anyone to shoulder alone."

"But I can't endanger anyone I love anymore!"

"Zuko, you don't endanger the ones you love."

"Yes I do. Just remember what I did to you! I betrayed you, even though you were the closest person to me! If anything, I hurt you the most! Maybe I've been keeping a distance from everyone, why I sort of became isolated from all my friends and family was because on some level, I knew I'd be the end of them."

"Zuko that's silly, you don't cause the people you love to die, it's quite the opposite… And this, this is just a morbid coincidence…"

"What is?" Zuko asked dejectedly.

"…That I'm dying as well," Iroh said in a level voice

Zuko's head shot up, eyes wide with shock. "What?"

"As I said earlier Zuko, it's not your fault. People die, its natural. All that matters is what we do when we're alive. I'm glad to hear you were able to forgive and help your sister, but you can't give up on her now, not when she needs you the most, not if you really love her. You and I both know best what it feels like to do horrible things for what we thought to be the right reasons at the time, only to regret them deeply later. I killed many men shamelessly in the war, and it took the death of my son to realize the folly of it all. If we hadn't been given a chance to right wrongs, we'd be where your father is. We can't deny Azula that same chance, not if you truly love her.

That goes for all your other loved ones as well. Cutting yourself off from them is only going to hurt them more than you ever could do so with them. They all know you love them and that knowledge will keep them going. But if you continue on this path, you will snuff out that love, hurting them just as much as yourself. Do not be afraid of intimacy, of opening your heart to others. I have a feeling you will need to do so if you wish to save the world."

"Wah-what are you talking about?" Zuko's asked trying to process it all, barely succeeding because of the cold clasping grip on his heart the knowledge of the demise of his uncle had brought to him.

"There is great turmoil going on in this world, beyond the shadows, and in the Spirit World. It all stems from there. In my long quiet hours, growing old, I have allowed my mind to once more wonder beyond the veil of the material world. I have seen things, things that cannot be allowed to happen," Iroh's voice grew softer, his breathing quickening and becoming a low wheezing. "You must keep a pure heart, and a sharp mind, if you are to overcome the next challenge in your journey. An old friend requires your help. You must be ready, you must keep your mind open, your perceptions clear, and your heart strong…"

…

Silence like that of a crypt hung over the pair, suffocating all other sounds, building crushing pressure like what you might find on the bottom of an ocean.

…

"My final moments are fast approaching Zuko… I feel this body weakening… Please, take me out for a walk."

"Uncle… I couldn't. We have to get you to – to a doctor or something. Come now, I'll take you back to the carriage, we'll seek help."

"No, Zuko, my time has come, I have seen, just as clearly as I have seen the peril that awaits you. The spirits are restless, waiting for the light to drive back the growing shadows. You must be ready to answer their call, when your help will be needed to restore balance, once and for all. Now please, let me look upon this world one last time…"

Iroh coughed roughly once again, wheezing more deeply than ever before, but he got up from his place, wobbling dangerously against his cane. Zuko sprung up as well and hurried to his uncle's side, holding the man steady.

"Please, Uncle…"

"No. Now let me see… take me to the tree you spoke of. I think I like the idea of going to rest among its roots." Iroh gave a weak chuckle. "This is not the end, well, not one I abhor, Zuko. If anything, this is exactly what I had desired. I have known for a long time that my time was coming, so I was holding on to life dearly, just so I could meet you once more. It's almost like destiny. And now that my role is over, that I have delivered my message to you, please, let me go to rest. I am tired, Zuko, so very tired. Let me enjoy my final moments with you, you who are like a son to me."

"A… alright, Iroh," Zuko said, struggling to keep his voice even.

Slowly, the pair made their way down the path towards the giant tree. The wind began to blow harder, whisking Iroh's long hair about. When they reached the ancient tree, Zuko set his uncle against one of its roots. Iroh slumped against it, taking a long raspy breath.

Zuko stood above the old man, unable to look at him, keeping his eyes set on the dark valley below.

"Aaaah… I… I think I can see…" Iroh mumbled, lifting a trembling hand upwards towards Zuko. "I can see him…"

Zuko turned to look at his uncle. "Iroh… I love you…"

"I love you too… son…"

A single tear rolled from Zuko's better eye.

"I thought I lost you… in the war… but I can see you again…"

Zuko crouched down on his knees and with one hand, pulled his uncle's head close to his own, until their foreheads were touching. Deep in the shadows of their hidden faces, light gleamed off of tiny falling stars.

"You're still so beautiful… my boy…" Iroh gasped, reaching out to tenderly caress Zuko's scar.

"We'll be okay, right?"

"Yes… we'll _all_ be okay… Zuko will make sure of it… I know he will… because he is just like you…"

"Thank you…"

"I…" Iroh's final words trailed away, taken away by his long final exhale.

"Goodbye, Iroh…"

…………

………

……

…

The construction of the funeral pyre took several hours of silence. Takigi kept dragging large pieces of wood, all the while keeping her face hidden behind her sleeve as she kept wiping away a seemingly never-ending tide of tears. Zuko too remained silent as he carried equally large pieces of wood in his arms. It was past midnight when Zuko deemed the pyre high enough.

Carefully, the pair carried the old man's remains onto the pyre. They stood in silence for another long while, neither one sure if something should be said. But eventually, Zuko stepped forth and held out a hand over the dry timber they had gathered. He breathed in deep, and unleashed a small burst of flames with his exhale. The fire quickly spread through the dry twigs and leaves they had gathered for kindling, crackling as it snaked its way around the dead body. The flames roared as the fire reached the wood, burning higher than ever, swallowing Iroh's remains and releasing his energy back into the world from which he had come from.

Takigi broke out into tears once again, wailing loudly like an injured beast. Zuko stood near the fire, feeling the growing heat intensify, but never took a step back. He stood there, unfazed, taking the barrage of hot air, sweating through the pain. In a way, he welcomed the slight physical pain as distraction from the turmoil inside him. A firebender could handle greater amounts of heat than this, easily.

The sun was rising when the final embers died out, leaving the ash laden ground drearily grey.

Zuko had spent the hours in complete silence, replaying his memories of Iroh, recalling his advice and words of wisdom from throughout their years together, distilling the spirit of the kind old man into an unrelenting force of resolve. Iroh had been a great man, and his legacy was even greater than the greatest leader in the history of the world had ever left behind. He had set a standard to live by, a code of conduct that left all others in shame. He was a man to live up to.

Zuko turned around, feeling cleansed by the fire's touch. He breathed in the scents of a fresh morning, feeling the touch of ash against his skin as a breeze rolled past him.

Takigi was squatting on the ground, inspecting a tuft of tall grass.

"Hey… are you going to be okay alone?" Zuko asked as he came to a halt next to the girl.

Takigi rubbed her eyes with her sleeve and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, but gave a weak smile. "Yeah… I'll just… I'll go back to one of his tea houses."

"…Okay," Zuko said and then continued his way up the path, towards his waiting ostrich horse.

Takigi got up and followed him to the mount. "You know, he left you his tea shops…"

"Really…" Zuko tightened the straps on his saddle, giving the girl a quick thoughtful glance from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah…" She scratched her arm uncertainly, sensing a sudden change in the breeze, coming in from the east, accompanied by the rays of the rising sun.

"What about you?" Zuko asked.

"Me?"

"You know how the business works right?"

"Uhm, yeah."

"Then I give them to you."

"B-but I couldn't! He gave them to _you_."

"I'm afraid tea brewing isn't really on my list of priorities right now. Besides, they're mine to do with as I choose, so please take care of them. Maybe I'll come back for them someday."

"Oh… okay, I guess."

Zuko took the reins of his ostrich horse and lead it down the road.

"Wait! You forgot your swords!" Takigi called after him, noticing the twin blades still leaning against the carriage.

"I won't need them anymore," Zuko replied as he continued his march onwards.

And so, Zuko left behind his past, taking his first steps into a new unknown world, for the first time, without weapons or a father, completely on his own with nothing but himself to depend on, yet more determined than he had ever been.


	7. Chapter 7: Tale of a Princess in Love

Chapter 7: Tale of a Princess in Love

"Puh-please! D-don't hurt me!" a man being held by the throat against the wall of a diner in a dark alley whimpered pathetically.

"Silence," his hooded assailant hissed, tightening the grip around his throat, sharp nails digging into his flesh. The man coughed as his body jerked. The grip was loosened, but only slightly so that the shaking would stop.

"I gave you a specific order. Where. Are. My. Results?" the hiss like whisper made the man shiver with fear.

"Please. I did as you told me. It all points to Ba Sing Se. T-they had connections there, with the new regime. Most people don't know this, b-but there are a lot of old Dai Li agents still working in the government. It's not that hard to come up with a new identity if you've been working for an organization like that."

"I'm surprised you didn't do likewise, you cowardly slime."

"No, I will forever remain loyal to you and your family," the man said desperately, the chattering of his teeth almost drowning out his words

"Silence. I know the only reason you're doing my bidding now is out of fear and not out of any sense of loyalty… as it should be." Lips were liked tentatively under the hood. "Now tell me the rest of what I want to know, quickly. I have no desire to remain here in this dirty alley than is absolutely necessary."

"I-I already told you everything I know! Ba Sing Se! They had connections with Ba Sing Se's new government! If you find a former Dai Li agent there, someone who's actually _inside_ the government again, I'm sure you'll be able to find out more yourself!"

"That… is not what I told you to do. You have disappointed me… for the last time." The hooded figure raised a hand, fingers spread out like claws, ready to strike.

"No please Princess Azula, don't! Don't kill me!" A sickening stench filled the air as the man soiled himself.

"Ugh," Azula sneered, sniffing the air. "Disgusting." – She threw the man and his filth away, truly disgusted by the whole encounter – "I'm amazed you were ever able to become a Dai Li agent. I think leaving you like this is punishment enough. Now disappear, before I change my mind. But be certain this is the last time we ever meet again, I will not tolerate seeing such cowardly incompetence twice."

"T-thank you, Princess."

The man ran off haphazardly but hastily, not daring to look backwards until he was pressed against the door of his house, desperately banging on it to be let in, lest more demons of the night find him.

Ba Sing Se, the sight of Azula's greatest triumph. There she had done what her foolish oaf of an uncle hadn't had the brains or the (figurative) guts to do in order to take the city. Where she had earned her father's respect once and for all. Where she and Zuko had been reunited, working together to achieve the greatness they deserved, as they should have from the start.

Just wait, Zuko, I'll be done here soon, she thought as she strode out of the alley, and then we'll have it all. Just the two of us, and we'll take back what's rightfully ours. We'll set the world straight. Just you and me. Me and you. Together. As it was meant to be.

As she walked down the dark, cobbled streets, with only drunks left wandering on the sides of the streets, she lifted her hooded head and looked up into the distance. Far off, against the horizon, beyond the houses of this pathetic little town, she could see the distant, high walls she had conquered without having to actually tear them down. It was something that would be remembered throughout the ages.

She smiled, feeling that it was only fitting the place of her greatest triumph should be the place where she would succeed gloriously once again, once more earning the respect of a loved one.

Just wait, Zuko. I'll make you proud, I'll make it safe for us, I'll make sure we have all that we deserve. I'll give us the world. It has been a rudderless ship for too long, and we shall cleanse it through the fire of war, so that like the Phoenix, something greater will rise from the ashes.

We can be happy together, neither one of us having to feel the pain of loneliness again. We can be happy…

* * *

Her prey was fast, nimble and dangerous, just like she liked it. If there was one thing she enjoyed the most in this world, it was fighting a worthy opponent, someone who was potentially stronger than she was, and then striking the overconfident fool down when they were just on the brink of victory. Nothing was sweeter than seeing that arrogance change into a despairing hopelessness. She could still remember vividly the time when she had nearly killed the Avatar. It had been such a rush.

A boulder flew at her with fatal velocity and intent. She kicked it aside with a burst of blue fire. Smaller rocks rose around her, hovering at different heights all around her, until they suddenly shot at her like bullets.

She widened her stance, exhaled, and pushed her hands outward to her side together, a column of fire blasting away the rocks heading towards her on her right side. She then turned her body around, her outstretched arms bringing the fire around her body like a massive whip, incinerating the other small rocks still headed for her.

"I thought you were dead!" the man she was after shouted at her angrily. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He had started a new life, he had a family now, and what odd jobs he did with his old friends in the old Dai Li were so insignificant and secret that no one should suspect anything. And yet, here he was, centre of attention. The fact that all this attention was coming from a mad woman made it all worse.

"Sorry to disappoint," Azula said, turning the blazing tower of a whip around over her head and down at the man.

"Well, you have," the man said sourly, issuing forth his own elemental tower to halt Azula's attack. Her fire crashed into the tower, shards of rock flying everywhere, but managing to halt her fire.

The man lifted his hands, summoning a cloud of dust around him so he could make his escape. This was his second mistake that night. The first one had been made when he had been loudly bragging about his new promotion, mentioning his ties with 'old, powerful friends from the better days'. Such an announcement had been all Azula had needed to make the connection between him and the Dai Li, setting him up for an early exit from his favourite pub, or whatever charred remains were left. Would this crazy woman never stop? First, his old boss had been an incurably annoying sod, then his working conditions and reputation hadn't improved when he had worked for _her_ and now… who knows what?

His second mistake became apparent to him as a wave of fire that suddenly descended upon him. Because of the sand in the air he hadn't noticed it until it was too late. Azula had had to fill the entire dust cloud with a downpour of fire. He barely had enough time to cocoon himself in a thick enough layer of rock as the blue flames reached him.

"Aaagh! My eyebrows," he yelled as he smashed his protective rocks away, turning around to scowl at Azula. "You burned my eyebrows! Nearly took my head off!"

"I'll take something a lot more important to you away if you don't give up now!"Azula shouted back, shooting a small, precise blast of fire between the man's legs.

He gulped nervously, looking down at the smouldering crater between his feet, while he tried to stop the sudden shaking in his legs. "Ok w-wait, no need to burn my sausage an' eggs. I'll do what you want!"

"Good boy," Azula said smugly, lowering her fingers. She stood up straight and started walking up to him, sporting a wicked smile.

"Yeah, nice an' easy… so I'll have a clear shot at your stupid face!" the man punched at her face, sending a piece of earth hurtling at Azula from in front of him.

A blaze of azure welled behind the speeding rock. Azula spun gracefully over it, the blue fire from her boots propelling her over the projectile.

She landed on her hands, back towards the man as she brought her legs down towards him in a fast downwards slash, flames gushing forth at him. Once again, he barely had time to summon a shield of earth, but this time Azula was too close. Her fire burst through the guarding earth, sending the man flying across the dirty street and through a house.

It was some time later when consciousness returned to him, much to his annoyance.

"What are _you_ so happy about?" he asked, jiggling in the chains he was tightly wrapped in, hanging upside down from a dark ceiling, while Azula stared at him with a wide grin on her beautiful face. It truly was a face of terrifying opposites: full, beautiful lips in an ugly sneer, golden eyes plagued by deep shadows around them, and fair skin with scratches and dirt on it. Like a demon peeking out from behind the cracked mask of a saint. It almost made one wonder if they were supposed to be shivering in fear or be deeply attracted to such features. Almost.

"Taking back what's mine," she answered calmly, rubbing the fingers of her outstretched hand. She held out two fingers and an intense flame like that of a blowtorch appeared at the tips. "Ever wonder what it feels like to have steel chains around your body heated up so much that they actually start glowing red? It's such a deep red."

Azula's grin widened, almost like that of a hungry shark approaching its next meal. "Then again, you probably won't feel anything after the chains merely start heating up, boiling your skin away." She held the burning fingers up close to her captive's face, causing the cold sweat on his brow to heat up uncomfortably.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'm in trouble if I don't do what you want me to do."

"Good, that'll save us some time." The approaching flame stopped and pulled back slightly, giving the man a chance to catch his breath.

"The fact that I have a loving wife and a bunch of adorable kids wouldn't stop you, would it?" He asked, feeling slightly more confident now that his nose hair wasn't in danger of being cooked.

"Not in the slightest."

"Good, cause the wife ain't so loving and the kids are a load of blathering gits."

"Mm-hmm, very interesting," Azula said, looking bored as she once again brought the blowtorch on her straightened fingers close to his face.

"But enough about me and my problems, what about you?" the man said swiftly, "What do _you_ want?"

"Answers." The glaring fire's glow at her fingertips intensified, the shadows in the small room lengthening greatly. The sound of the roaring flame was deafening, as it filled the former Dai Li agent's head with painful promises for tomorrow, if he was lucky.

"So, what _exactly_ do you want to know?"

* * *

Circles. This pathetic world loves those damn circles. Revolutions upon revolutions. We go around, not knowing where it all starts and where it ends, Azula thought pensively as she hopped over a wall just in time to avoid the attention of an approaching green-clad guard.

Back here again… wonder if I'll run into any old friends. Heh.

Azula tied her long dark hair into a pony tail, leaving the familiar bangs in place. She didn't want her long, dark hair to get in the way. But the bangs, the ones Zuko had once said highlighted her face perfectly, she left them as they were. It just felt oddly reassuring somehow.

Slowly, she edged her way against the wall, inching towards a small building closest to the mighty wall. Whenever she thought she spotted a moving shadow or heard the tiniest noise, she would freeze in place in the shadows, with only the glint of her concentrated eyes allowing someone to spot her if one knew to look for her. But she remained unnoticed. Maybe it was just her paranoia, but even though she couldn't spot anyone, she knew they were there, just waiting to pounce on her.

Peering around her with cat-like eyes, seeing no threats, she jumped and caught the outstretched tiled roof. Her ears burned as she strained to hear sounds of incoming enemies or patrolling guards. Nothing was heard for several minutes. She then lifted herself up onto her hands before she slowly twisted her feet down onto the roof in a show of acrobatic prowess that would have garnered approval even from Ty Lee.

Her eyes skittered back and forth, searching for guards left on the roofs for her, but found nothing and started to relax. Suddenly she felt slightly irritated. Where were all the guards? If she had been in charge of security, there would have been a squadron of silent assassins hidden in the shadows of the roof, just waiting for her. She deserved that much at least.

Maybe they were there, she suddenly thought, muscles tensing up again as her paranoia returned. Just waiting for her to relax so they could catch her off guard. Nice try, but Princess Azula was no fool.

She peered around the roof once again, deciding on an alternative route to her target. The high course was too risky, so she would use the alternative. She lowered her hands and cupped them against the roof she was squatting on. A blue glow under her hands appeared, while she kept squinting at distant shadows. Had something moved? What was that all the way across the massive palace court?

When she was satisfied with her work, she removed her hands and looked into the hole she'd burned into the roof. Her eye darted around the peephole, until she was certain that nothing but bags of supplies waited her.

She placed her palms against the small hole she'd made, gently burning the roof away, constantly vigilant for an attack from the shadows. It was bound to happen, she just knew it.

When the hole was big enough, she jumped down through it, landing gracefully on the clean marble floor. For what appeared to be nothing more than a glorified broom closet, the room had a surprising amount of statues in it and golden scripture on the walls.

Azula ignored the valuable scenery, which would have made any other person capable of reaching the place she had faint in horror at her lack of greed, as she strode silently across the cool marble floor towards a mighty door, equally gratuitously decorated.

If she remembered correctly, she was close to her prey, very close. According to her sources, little had changed in the Earth Kingdom after more than a decade. There was still a king, and unknown to even him, he was still just a figurehead to pacify the stupid rabble while the real power behind the throne remained the same, only with a new name: the Guan Liao. Even with the seemingly more appealing change in name, people still only whispered of the organization's existence in dark pubs, far beyond the city's inner walls, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings as they did so, careful not to allow their hushed insinuations be heard by people who might take offence and deal out punishment for such lack of patriotism. It was funny, the things you could find out with a little bit of imaginative interrogation.

Slowly, Azula pushed back the heavy door, which luckily did not creak ominously. At least they kept the insides of the palace in good shape, Azula thought disdainfully as she quietly crept down a passage towards a hidden door she had learned about.

When she found the golden statue of a goofy looking bear, she reached into its mouth, fiddling with its tongue until a quiet click could be heard. A small portion of the wall behind her slide down soundlessly. They really do keep the insides in good shape, Azula thought approvingly as she descended into the dark stairwell behind the secret door. I must remember to get one of these for myself once we return to our rightful place in our own palace.

The steep stairwell wasn't lit by anything, so Azula conjured a small azure fire in her palm, keeping a hand in front of it so that her invisible enemies couldn't see the glare. In the soft blue glow, which made her eyes glow with ice-like coldness, she cautiously stepped from a stair to the next, her ears and eyes straining for the slightest glimmer or noise. When she finally reached a dark place where the floor levelled out, she snuffed her light out, seeing a soft greenish glow from the far side of the darkness. Slowly she crept forward, holding her cloak tightly to her body, careful so it wouldn't snag on something or make any flapping noises. She could feel a dank breeze coming from the small glint that was her target. Muffled voices were talking somewhere close by. Something sizzled warmly, filling the air with a tantalizing scent of exotic flavours. Drops of cold sweat ran down her neck and then down her back, following the slender curve of her spine. She shivered with anticipation.

"No, it's too early for that. Continue advancing at a slow pace, removing border disputes, as to not raise any unwanted attention. And if there aren't any border disputes… make some," a man hidden within deep shadows said sinisterly from behind a small table where he sat. There was something odd about his voice. In a way, it sounded slightly familiar, but it had a distant echoey quality to it, almost as if two voices were talking on top of each other.

"Yes, sir. And of the Water Tribes?" a man in old Dai Li garb asked, standing with his back towards Azula as he asked for further orders.

"We will see how they respond. And if they don't start acting according to the plan soon, we have ways of forcing the desired result."

"Yes, sir."

There was another man waiting inside the room, next to the doorway Azula had crept to. He was either waiting for his own turn or just listening, Azula figured.

Okay, three men in a closed space. I have the element of surprise. I can take one of them out before the other two even notice, but then comes the hard part. I'll only have the time to take another one of them out at best… I should properly just take the direct route…

All right, this is it. She breathed out quietly, giving her racing heart a moment to relax before the excitement _really_ began. She was going to enjoy this.

Azula spun around through the doorway, hitting the man waiting next to it with a sharp kick in the face. He flew into the corner, hitting his head against a wall. He crumpled to the floor immediately.

The man asking for orders had barely managed to turn around at the sudden noise when his leg was swiped at by another kick from Azula. Azula had put so much force into the kick that her own balance gave away along with her target's. But she was ready. As the shocked man fell, Azula brought her hand down towards his exposed throat in a chopping motion, a blow that would have delivered swift release from his mortal coils.

But, before the blow connected, the floor underneath both of the falling people shifted, sending Azula towards the gently crackling, green fireplace and the toppling man towards his fallen companion in the corner.

Big mistake, Azula thought as she rolled into the fire. As she came to a halt, squatting in the middle of the green flames, she brought her hands around her body, directing the flames after them. In one swift motion, she directed the green flames, which were starting to burn blue, at her enemies in the corner.

A stone wall emerged between the flames and her targets, blocking her attack. She turned her eyes to the last man in the room, who was still sitting leisurely behind the little table. His hands were raised, indicating that it had been he who had done all the earthbending, but as soon as he noticed her gaze, he lifted them above his head in a show of surrender.

Azula emerged from the fireplace slowly, still crouched with arms at the ready to fry the idiot if he tried something stupid.

"Ah… I was wondering if you'd show up eventually," the man in the shadows said in friendly voice, before he paused for a moment, as if remembering something. "Ah yes, Princess Azula… it's been a lifetime since we met, well, in a manner of speaking."

Azula held a palm upwards, a small flame erupting to illuminate the dark room. Her eyes opened in shock as she saw the man's face. "You?" she asked, truly flabbergasted to the full extent of the word.

"Yes… long time no see, my dear. It's been another lifetime, in a manner of speaking. Heh. I think you and I have a lot to discuss. Please, take a seat. I promise, it'll be worth it." The man leered like a jackal.

* * *

"So, exactly why can't you do it by yourelf? Surely someone of your power should be able to deal with this all by yourself. No element as such is stronger than the others. Actually, if what you've told me is true, all you need is any firebender for the task," Azula said, taking her first and last careful sip of the fresh tea she had been offered. She was almost disappointed not to taste any odd, potentially lethal substances in it, just plain old jasmine tea. Just what kind of evil empire were they hoping to build anyway?

"Ah, but there is a problem you are not aware of, my dear. In order to dispose of this liability, a firebender is needed; however, there are few firebenders in the world with the required skill. You, my dear, are one of the best available at the current times. You should be flattered," said the mysterious man sitting across from her on the other side of the small table in the dark room. He had been careful to conceal himself in shadows. When Azula had pointed this out to him, he had apologized politely and explained that it had developed into a nasty habit, because of his constant need for secrecy. It had gotten so bad he couldn't have a proper conversation with someone anymore unless he was at least partially concealed.

Azula of course, hadn't believed a word. She believed he just wanted keep his eerie eyes out of her sight. They seemed to have a sickly green glow to them, even in the shadows. Of course, the fire roaring in the nearby fireplace was green as well, but even so, his eyes seemed to be greener than everyone else's eyes had been in the green glow of the dark room. Stupid Earth Kingdom idiots and their obsession with green, Azula thought disapprovingly as she adjusted the crimson cloak on top of her red outfit.

"I don't need your approval." She disdainfully glimpsed at the gently wafting misty haze from the warm tea that had been delivered to her. "As I said earlier, surely you could have done this by yourself."

"Suffice to say, there are… certain precautions in place to prevent myself from actually committing the deed. Otherwise, I would have done so years ago. I certainly have the means…"

"A high level firebender… No one else but I am actually proficient enough?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, there are only possibly two others with nearly the equal proficiency in this world when it comes to firebending, but neither of them would ever actually agree to do it."

"Ah, I see. I think I know who you are talking about."

"Yes, which makes me wonder, are you up to it?"

"Naturally, but there is no real motive for me either."

"I think I can provide one. Fairly easily, I might add. You have promise, my dear, real untapped potential in you. A born leader. I shall grant you the rightful role you were denied so many years ago."

"Really…? My, what a grand promise," Azula said almost playfully, before the harsh tones returned to her voice, "I think I've already heard this offer before. Perhaps you are unaware, but my priorities have shifted over the past thirteen years. I have someone dear to me to whom I want to grant the status he was robbed of. The deal must extend to him as well, and over all our previous lands, at the very least.

"Such ambition. I love it. Almost makes me wonder if I can trust you." The man smirked a beastly grin, teeth gleaming in the faint light in the room.

"The same can be said about you. Why exactly would you want to share your conquest with others?" Azula asked dubiously.

"I am no fool," the mysterious man suddenly said in an extremely serious voice. "One being cannot possibly even hope to control such a vast area as the entire world. I'm not all-knowing, you know. Hah. There are very practical and logistical reasons tempering my wildest dreams. Though you will be granted control over your own sector, it doesn't mean that yours will be a separate kingdom. All lands will be one, all the people one. I shall give this world that has wallowed in chaos for eons the order it needs and deserves. You know, I would have sought you out in the first place, but you were…"

"Crazy?" Azula's eyes flashed dangerously in the dark light of the gloomy room.

"I was going to say unavailable," the man said thoughtfully, "but I guess that works just as well. It's good to know you're not ashamed of it. You truly are a creature of remarkable willpower."

Azula yawned impatiently, holding an elegantly poised hand in front of her opened mouth until she brought it down on the table, taloned fingers rapping against it impatiently. "One more thing, if all that you have told me is true, how exactly could I achieve what several other firebenders couldn't achieve together?"

"They lacked the control to harness the power I offered them. Their efforts amounted to nothing even when I gave them power they didn't deserve. No, I need a pure fire, like yours," The man in the shadows said, his distant eyes gleaming in the darkness he wore like a shroud. He reached into the folds of his ceremonial robe and produced a golden necklace. At its centre, a crimson stone shone with inner warmth. "And with this, it'll burn even brighter, with such intensity and ferocity that all opposition will simply melt in your path."

"What is it?" Azula asked hungrily, feeling the power the stone was emanating. The surge of warm energy that suddenly filled the room was seeping into her body. She felt like bursting, needing to release a flame just to remain from exploding. Her fingers twitched eagerly. "I've felt this before… twice, in fact."

"Hmm… ah yes, the second contact must have come from Fu Bai. But even so, I bet the power you felt was nothing compared to the first time you came face to face with this glorious gift from the gods. Such a grand gift, that we are only blessed with its presence once in a century."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the fiery princess. "Sozin's Comet?"

"Yes, but this is merely a fragment, well, the biggest one I possess actually. The piece broke off from the real thing, you see. The stone seems to have retained some of the spiritual energy that imbues firebenders with more power. I was able to remove a sufficient amount from the initial source almost ten years ago… until _someone_ made sure I couldn't get any more. My, what an army I could have had. I could have used the Fire Nation at its ultimate potential to conquer the world within weeks. Instead I was forced to make a more subtle attempt through the Earth Kingdom, taking several years in the process. But if you are successful, after ridding me of the liability, we might just be able to claim more from the source, and create an unstoppable firebending army… So, can I count on your assistance? You will be handsomely rewarded, you and your… loved one."

"Hmmm… I see what you're trying to sell," Azula said thoughtfully, doing her best to conceal the lust for power she felt from becoming too apparent.

"And?" the man asked eagerly, leaning forward for her reply.

"I like it," Azula said, grinning wickedly as she grabbed the necklace from the outstretched hand, holding it greedily, feeling the immense power it held seep into her body. She quickly placed it around her neck, but always kept a hand on the stone that dangled from it, fiddling with the pendant.

She held a hand out towards a corner of the room, intending to shoot a small bolt at a barrel. But what burst from her hands was a fiery inferno, gushing forth with unrestrained power, filling the entire room with her azure flames. She quickly snuffed the fire out. She opened her hand gave her palm one more hungry look before she whispered, "I like it a _lot_."

She loved it, the pure power of it all, the exhilaration of limitless potential, and all of it, finally in her grasp, where it belonged, where it should always have been. She held the amulet tightly to her chest, close to her heart, where she had been forced to keep her deepest desires in check, that is, until now. Now they were free, boundless, to go forth and set new flames of passion. She could make it all happen, for her and Zuko, and the idiot who had given her rightful power thought he could strike a deal with the two. The fool! The world was theirs! Not some weak idiot's, who hid in the shadows. Only the likes of Azula and Zuko were destined to be great, it coursed through their blood, it had been inscribed in their very souls. It was meant to be… No, they were meant to be great, together…

"As long as you're happy," the man in the shadows muttered. He had gotten up in surprise at the sheer power she had exuded, thrilled by it all, that is, until the flames had reached him. Now, he was quickly patting away at small burning flames on his robe. "Just had it cleaned too…" he mumbled with the restrained displeasure only an obviously high-class soul could ever achieve.


	8. Chapter 8: It Burns

Chapter 8: It Burns

Zuko had been on the road for a couple of days now.

For some bizarre reason he felt oddly calm and it was starting to worry him. In his mind, warm memories of Iroh kept replaying themselves. It all seemed to fill him with a sense of reassurance, that everything would work out, as the old man had said on his deathbed. But still, Zuko couldn't help wondering why he was taking this so easily. Iroh had died and he wasn't… wallowing in sadness or throwing a tantrum. Had the loss not properly hit him? Would it take more time to register?

For days now, his mind had drifted casually from forming plans to remembering all the good times with Iroh, but never even for a moment had there been any great sadness at his passing. Maybe Zuko knew that his uncle had lived a full life, or maybe he was still working through it all, but he felt calm, albeit maybe a bit unfocused.

He thought back on Iroh, remembering his teachings and knew that he was doing the right thing to honour his memory. But even so, a part of him felt oddly disturbed by the lack of a huge emotional reaction. He pondered on this, remembering the cathartic experience of watching Iroh's remains burn, comparing the moment with his hot-headed youth where even slight things would have set him off like a fuse. Maybe he was simply better at handling it all now, after all those years, because he had finally reached a certain level of spiritual maturity. Zuko smiled at this thought, knowing how Iroh would have been delighted in such a change in his nephew.

Zuko looked up into the darkening skies, coloured orange in the setting sun, and breathed in deep, taking in the scents of life. He could smell the grass and flowers, hear the buzzing of insects and the cries of distant birds. Perhaps it took death to fully appreciate life. After all, even for wise Iroh, it had taken the loss of his son to realize this. Maybe it was a bit morbid, but Zuko had never felt this alive, just taking in the feeling of the world, enjoying every last thing it had to offer. Pure existence had never felt this good.

He could fully appreciate and understand the transitory nature of life. Before, the knowledge that everything changed had filled him with a restless uneasiness, but no more. Now he accepted and embraced the fact. Everything would change in time. Everything was in flux. Stability was not a state to be found in the outside world, it came from within.

This is probably what you saw, Iroh, Zuko thought to himself, keeping his eyes closed so as to not spoil the feast his other senses were enjoying to great lengths. I used to be so angry and impatient, while you took it slow, receiving pleasure from the simplest of things, like tea and Pai Sho.

Suddenly however, Zuko's reverie was broken, along with the sounds of life in the forest. There was no crash, no violent storm, but something far more sickening for Zuko who had suddenly become so well in tuned with life. The sounds of animals diminished and the smells of vegetation were gone as the wind shifted.

Zuko opened his eyes.

Before him stood the vast wastelands left behind by his father during Sozin's Comet. Not far off, he could see huge stone pillars. It was the place where Ozai and Aang had fought. Where time and space had stood still, holding their breath like the rest of the world on that fateful day.

Zuko turned towards the pillars and continued his journey onwards. He had been forced to take a detour. The main road to Ba Sing Se had been blocked by a landslide. Now the path to Ba Sing Se was behind the high pillars, but that was not the sole reason he felt compelled to see the stones. Unbeknownst to him, something was calling out to him.

It was destiny, once again drawing two unstoppable forces together for yet another fateful meeting in that very spot.

As Zuko made his way through the majestic pillars, standing proud against the test of time and elements, he looked up into the skies. The clouds were coloured in all the imaginable shades of red, with only the denser clouds breaking the wash of crimson with dark outcroppings.

This was exactly as Zuko had imagined the fight between Ozai and Aang to have looked like. The only thing off was the eerie quiet of the place. But when that silence was broken, shattered apart by the mad caws of dark birds rising from their perches inside hidden crevices, the whole scenery seemed to vibrate with wild power, becoming stronger and stronger by the passing moment.

Soon, a gentle rumbling began, shaking loose gravel and stones from the pillars. The sound grew louder. Zuko looked around, trying to spot the source, but then he realized that the sound wasn't coming from anywhere on the ground, but from the dark skies above him instead.

He looked up and spotted, amongst the royal reds and imperial dark tones of the clouds, a bright azure streak, fast approaching. It cut the sky in half, resembling a gaping wound, white tipped flames spreading from it like a festering sickness.

"No… it can't be…" Zuko said quietly, staring into at the apocalyptic vision spreading across the heavens.

He left his mount on the ground, the animal tossing its head about as it made nervous grunts. He jumped up between two exceptionally tall stone pillars, using bursts of his own red fire to help him make the distance up to the top, bouncing from one to the next with all the speed he could muster.

Once on the top, he shielded his eyes from the combined glare of the red setting sun and the streak of blue fire roaring across the sky.

"It has to be…" Zuko said solemnly as he dropped into a low stance, holding his closed fists together tightly, focusing his energy into a single point, taking in as much oxygen as he could fill his lungs with.

He took another step, further widening his stance, as he unleashed the volley. The concentrated streamer of fire, spinning like a drill, swiftly made its way upwards, aimed well ahead of the blue fire's source as it sped along, just underneath the clouds.

The wave of azure dissipated as the dark speck leading its charge stopped. Small, more focused blasts maintained its altitude now. Even from this distance, Zuko thought he could see the little figure high above him turn to follow the trail of the red fire to its source.

Suddenly, with a crack like lightning, the blue fires blazed again, growing bigger as they made their way towards him, dropping low amongst the pillars to zigzag playfully between them.

The azure flames reached out like roots, filling the spaces between the pillars. Zuko heard the cry of his ostrich horse as it shrieked and ran away in a maddened fit of terror. Soon, the landscape was completely enveloped in blue flames. The mighty pillars rumbled with the power of the flames. Zuko almost lost his balance as his own pillar shook dangerously.

A pillar of fire erupted in front of him, blinding his eyes with the light blue light. He closed his eyes, but the intense white light shone through regardless. When it eventually dimmed down, he opened his eyes, and saw a lithe figure step through the flames towards him, the fire twisting around her body. It was only when the figure's feet touched the solid platform provided by the stone pillar, with a gentle tap, that the blue flames died out.

"Zuzu…" Azula whispered the name with an intensity that rivalled the inferno that had been burning below them just moments ago.

"Azula," Zuko responded. He could feel his muscles tense up, his instincts screaming to adopt the most basic of animal drives, that of fight or flight. But he stood his ground firmly, unwilling to flinch or show the first sign of weakness.

He was just about to ask his sister why she was here and what she had done, but Azula spoke first, as she gave her surroundings a proper inspection.

"How fitting… for us to meet here, of all places, where our father faced and lost against the Avatar… makes you really wonder if there is a thing like destiny, setting us up, to stand or fall... Here we are, the two greatest firebenders in the world, on this… practically hallowed ground… Will we fight? Will we discover our fates here like the two fighters 13 years ago did, settling the future of the world?" Azula said as she began circling Zuko, taking slow, measured strides.

"Azula…" Zuko slowly turned around with her, careful not to let Azula get behind him, as he followed her with critical eyes. She looked ragged, but there was a spring in her step and a gleam in her eyes he couldn't recall seeing in well past a decade. "What are you talking about? Why are you here?"

"Oh, why… I'm here to put an end to what I never had the chance to finish." Azula came to a sudden halt, flicking loose hairs away from her face. "I'm here to kill the Avatar of course… he's close to here, I'm told."

"What?" Zuko took an eager step forwards at the sudden news. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he needed to hear more. "Aang's somewhere here? Alive?"

"Oh, never mind that, Zuzu," Azula said as she took a few steps closer to Zuko. "Now that you're here… we can do grander things than that together. With the power I've been granted, the power I've always deserved, we can accomplish so much more. I'm more than willing to share it with you… please?"

"What?! Azula –"

"Here, look." Azula turned her eyes towards a pillar, raised her hand and shot a flare of her unique fire at it, blasting it to pieces. Shrapnel fell on them as she then turned her full and undivided attention back to Zuko. "Join me Zuzu, we could be great together."

"Azula, stop! This is insane!" Zuko said sternly, shielding himself from the fragments.

"Please, Zuzu… we could be so great together. Our empire would span the entire world, bringing about that peace you've always desired… _I_ can give you that!" Azula continued her advance on Zuko, holding out a hand to him.

"No… that's not how I want it…" Zuko took a step back, tensing up again involuntarily.

"It's the only way! You can't just reason with some people… not when they just want everything to _burn_…" A sphere of fire appeared on her outstretched palm. "You have to force them, through power. It's the only thing that really matters in this world." She closed her fist, snuffing out the flame. "Don't you see, Zuzu? We could have it all! We have the power now! Together, as the Phoenix King and Queen, we will cleanse this world of its impurities, and from the ashes, a kingdom fit for us, a better world, will be there for us to rule over."

"No, Azula… All this fighting… what has it ever solved?"

"Before us, there has been nothing but weaklings. Together, with the power of the Comet, we shall achieve what all the others before us failed to do… together, Zuzu. Can't you see how perfect it would be… just you and I?" Once again, Azula reached her hand out to her older brother, seeking the companionship she had always sought unknowingly, only now starting to edge towards comprehending her need.

Suddenly, the tension Zuko had felt earlier around Azula seemed to drain away. He stared at her hand solemnly, now knowing what his little sister needed most. "I'm sorry, Azula, but no… I really thought we could change… be better than the legacy left behind by our ancestors… but I guess there's nothing to be done… so just strike me down if that's what you really want."

Azula saw the disappointment in Zuko's eyes. It was the most horrifying thing she had ever seen in her life. She clutched her chest, gripping at her pendant, her new source of power, feeling completely powerless all of a sudden, while heart in her chest thumped more powerfully and painfully than ever before. She tried to avert her eyes from his melancholic gaze, but it drew her deeply back into his sad eyes. The disappointment in his eyes was gut-wrenching.

"Zuko… no, don't talk like that! I did this for you! W-what are you doing?!" Azula said hectically, shaking at the knees all of a sudden. She hated this, feeling so weak. What was happening to her?

"No, it's true. We're nothing but failures and monsters, destroying everything we touch and hold dear… maybe the world would be better without us…"

"No… you're ruining everything!" Azula staggered backwards, running her hands through her hair. She could hear a familiar voice in her head again. She thought she'd lost it, but it was back, telling her how she was loved, as if mocking her. She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to force the voice out.

"Most of all, I regret that I couldn't help you Azula… you didn't fail me, I failed you… I'm sorry…"

"NO!! Shut up! Shut up shut up shutup shutupshutupshutup!" Azula screamed, clutching at her head.

"I'm sorry Azula, I thought we could do better…"

"No! I-I-I hate you!" Azula let loose a visceral scream. The burning pain she felt inside of her was too much. Tears streamed down her face as she turned to hatefully look at Zuko.

Zuko took a tentative step towards her, feeling her pain, wanting to help, but stopped in his tracks as blue torrents of fire flared in Azula's palms. She was panting heavily, face flushed as she gritted her teeth. "No…"

"Azula…" Zuko raised a hand at his little sister, uncertain himself, if it was a peace offering or a defensive move.

But instead of trying to attack him, as it had first appeared, she jumped off the pillar, flames erupting at her feet, taking her away from the pain. Tears streamed down her face as she whisked past pillars.

"I'm sorry Azula, sorry for doing that to you, but it had to be done… I'd chase you, but I need to find Aang, if he really is still alive… The world needs someone who can save it, someone who won't screw up, a _real_ hero," Zuko said quietly to himself, watching the cold-blue comet that was Azula soar though the skies. When she faded from the horizon, the landscape grew dark. The sun had already set, and there was still so much to do.

Zuko turned towards the direction Azula had been heading originally and slowly started his climb down.

* * *

Without his mount, the one that had been spooked by Azula's inferno, Zuko had been forced to continue his journey by foot. The night was cold and dark, but he kept going even though he felt incredibly tired.

_I hate you!_

There was no doubt that he felt horrible for disserting his sister at what seemed to be a critical moment, but if what Azula had said was true, Aang took priority over everything. The Avatar was the very personification of balance and order, so naturally he was best suited to fix the chaos the world was in again. In a way, it was kind of sad how the world had to depend so strongly on one person. The hundred year war was testament enough to how weak people were without the Avatar. But you work with what you're given, Zuko thought grimly as he climbed up a rocky hill.

He hadn't even thought about Aang in such a long time, making him feel a slight pang of a familiar guilt. The little bald guy had become a steadfast friend, but the years as Fire Lord and Avatar in the newly restored peace had taken its toll on both of them, leaving very little time for either one to interact with the other. They hadn't seen each other years before Aang's disappearance and when Aang had disappeared, Zuko had somehow failed to notice it. Sure, there had been a civil war at the time, and with Zuko taking a strict approach towards other nations to not interfere in the politics of his country, determined to prove that he – his nation – could handle its problems. Of course, because there seemed to be a conspiracy behind all of this, he couldn't disregard the possibility that somehow he had been purposefully been kept in the dark. It certainly was a possibility.

Zuko had walked for hours now, going through the few things Azula had said just in case there was something there to help him find Aang, but to no avail. He kept second guessing his decision to not go after her. Had he made the right decision, or would he end up regretting it, just like most of the things he had recently decided upon? And how had she been able to fly like that? There were so many things to find out and resolve with Azula, but they would have to wait for now.

His uncle's words also replayed themselves in his head. 'An old friend would need his help…' Had Iroh been talking about this? What else had he said? Something about keeping his heart open and mind clear and something about the Spirit World. It certainly was starting to make some sense now. Aang had left on a mission regarding the Spirit World. But what was Zuko's role in all of this? How could he help? He had never been to the Spirit World, unlike his uncle.

Actually, none of it made any sense.

As he neared the crest of the hill, Zuko thought he felt something change in his surroundings. It wasn't anything physical, more like the feeling that gives you goose bumps. There was something strange in the air. He thought he could see shadows flickering in and out of the stones. He shook his head to rid himself of the odd phantoms, but they remained. Perhaps against better judgement, he decided to ignore them, thinking they were merely manifestations of his tired and sleep deprived mind.

Once on top of the hill however, he found something even stranger.

On top of the hill, lying in an immense crater was a perfectly formed frozen orb, almost as big as the crater. The very air around the huge block of ice felt cold and heavy, while more of the earlier shades revolved around it. He reached out to touch one now, keeping his uncle's words at heart, but still felt nothing as a shade passed through his hand.

The giant orb itself seemed to be glowing with an inner blue light. Zuko took a few hesitant steps forward and tried to touch it, but the chill coming off of the orb was too great. He pulled back quickly. It had felt like his hand had been burnt by the immense coldness. Yet here, standing a few paces back from it, the coldness was barely tangible.

Zuko peered into the depths of the orb, trying to make out the source of the gentle illumination. He could see something round and on top of it, it looked like –

A person! A person with blue streaks across their body, radiating the soft light. It was Aang, it had to be.

He'd heard how Aang had done something similar once before. But he couldn't believe Aang would run away from whatever problem he was facing like he had once before. You simply didn't run away from any danger after having fought the Fire Lord at his strongest. Something else was going on here.

"Hold on, Aang, I'll get you out of there. The world needs you right now," Zuko said as he jumped back and unleashed a wave of fire. The fire, however, left the ice unscathed.

"Okay… Let's try that again." A fresh blast of fire, even at increased intensity and for a longer period accomplished nothing more than previosuly.

"This is gonna be a long night…" Zuko said, through gritted teeth as he unleashed yet another volley.

* * *

Zuko, tuckered out by trying to melt ice throughout the night, was sleeping on the ground. His clothes were wet with sweat and even now, deep in sleep, his breathing was still laboured after his many, yet ultimately vain, attempts to free Aang from his block of ice.

The woods on the other side of the hill rustled with the wind. Under the shadows, a dark figure had remained watching Zuko for most of his time blasting at the ice. Now that it was certain Zuko was deep asleep, the figure slowly strode out from the shadows. Carefully the cloaked person circled the crater, until it reached Zuko and stared down at him. The hood on the cloak was pulled down, revealing a melancholic Azula under it. She sat down next to Zuko, hugging her knees, staring at the majestic blue sphere in front of them. When she turned her head to look at Zuko, lying prone on the ground, she gave a short sigh.

"I don't – don't know how to say this… But, I have to say something, or I'll – I'll go crazy. I never really understood you, Zuzu… not as a child, not in our teens, not now… What are you? More importantly what are you to me? I have vague memories of a distant beach somewhere, with us together laughing… then nothing. Was it even real? I can't tell anymore… after that, all I remember is you with mother, always with mother. I hated you, both of you. I was always so alone… I wanted to show her I was better, that I didn't need anyone, but she never saw me… then – then came the dark times, when I would have done anything for father's approval… I tried to kill you so many times… I'm so sorry… But I think I understand now… really, I do. Being with you has opened my eyes. You've made me better, in so many ways… I'll make things right, Zuzu, I swear… I hope you can forgive me for what I've done… for what I might have to do in order to protect you… You were there for me, when all the others had left me, only you. You stood by my side… Now it's my turn… I'll make it right, just like you wanted… I'm doing this for you… I need you to know…" Azula said as she brushed a few loose hairs from her brother's brow. She looked at his face, so beautiful even with the scar.

Not knowing how else to express her only real love in this cruel, cold world, she leaned down and kissed him gently and quickly on the forehead. "I love you, Zuko, always."

Azula stood up and walked towards the giant globe of ice, open palms at her sides, gently burning. She could feel the freezing coldness creep up her spin as she approached it, but the energy her amulet fed her kept her warm enough to touch the ice. With careful precision, Azula focused the fire in her hands, melting away the permanent ice. Soon the crater was filled with steam as Azula made her way through the ice. It didn't take long for her to reach the glowing figure sitting on top of a large boulder, which too, upon closer examination, was glowing but with a faint red light.

She stared at the Avatar, sitting there, atop the boulder, looking so serene, like he was meditating. His bare upper body gleamed while what was left of the water on his body curled up in wisps of steam. His empty, glowing eyes stared at nothing but it felt like he saw everything at the same.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, twerp," Azula told him darkly, her fists clenching briefly, before she walked back to Zuko. She stood over him, once again taking in his face, trying to imprint every single feature of his face into her memory.

"Goodbye, Zuzu."

And with that, she left her brother behind. Her cloak fluttered in the wind as she walked off. A grim, yet calm expression on her beautiful face revealed the clarity of mind she had never before experienced in her life, not even before her breakdown. The shadows of the surrounding forest quickly swallowed her, plunging her into a familiar darkness where she felt safest. She turned around and gave her dear brother one last fleeting look. Then, she continued her silent journey into darkness.


End file.
